


We Have it All

by Raven_shadow57



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Big Bro Janus, Dark Sides as a Family, Dark Sides centric for the most part, Dark Sides have no powers at first, How Do I Tag, I'm Bad At Tagging, Just read, M/M, Naga Deceit | Janus Sanders, Orphan Janus, Orphan Virgil, Outcast Janus, Outcast Remus, Poverty, Roman and Remus are royalty, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Sacrifice, The streets are rough, Thomas is a spirit kind of, hopefully, it will make sense, self-hate, what else?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 33,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24429985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven_shadow57/pseuds/Raven_shadow57
Summary: Janus is in charge of taking care of an orphan and an outcast, Virgil and Remus. He himself is both an outcast and an orphan. However, they can’t ever seem to find a town that can help them. Now Virgil is dying, Remus hates the world, and Janus is distressed.Then a cloaked person makes him a deal. Janus signs the paper because its a way out. The choice changes him and his siblings a lot more than he thought.Or, Janus makes a decision that may have put his family in a worse position than when they began.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 63
Kudos: 146





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story was inspired by another story I created in my head based on a song, but this story barely has anything to do with the song except for maybe the first verse. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy and sorry for any grammatical errors along the way.

“Get out of here!”

“Worthless Naga!”

“Monster!”

“It’s your fault!”

“Devil spawn!”

The 12-year old boy ran out of the town, dodging around people and items being thrown at him. In the backdrop of this scene a huge plume of smoke rose to the gray sky that shrouded the burnt part of the small town in a miserable light. The people were angry, many crying with grief and most were covered in soot and dirty clothes. That didn’t keep them from completely chasing out the orphan boy despite the fact he had also been a victim of the disaster that had befallen them all. No, in their minds the child was what had brought down this stroke of misfortune on them, just as it had brought other bad moments. The moment the child had been born with half of its face and small body covered in yellow-green scales they had known the small monster would bring bad luck. However, his mother was well-loved and respected in the town and no one wanted to throw out her newborn child, so they let her care for it and made themselves scarce around it. Now that the monster’s mother had died, nothing would protect it from what they should have done years ago. 

Janus sniffled and sobbed, wiping his face with a single hand, being careful not to rub to hard at the scaled side of his face. He could barely see in front of him, his eyes to blurred with tears, and his legs seemed to be moving on their own quite miraculously since the rest of him felt like dropping to the ground and never moving again. His head pounded with each step he took, a turmoil of feelings seeming to press around his mind. By the time his mind had cleared enough so Janus could make himself stop running, the boy could no longer see his hometown. The pillar of smoke was still visible, but Janus kind of hoped it wasn’t. All it did was remind him of what had just happened. 

His mother was dead. The thought sent Janus sprawling on the ground, gripping the earth with one hand as he pounded the road with his other, letting the dust drink up his tears and screams of loss. 

Why? Why had that fire had to start? Why had his bad luck pulled such a horrible, horrible stunt? He had long accepted that he was a cursed Naga, bringing only misfortune instead of blessings like was expected of his kind, but why had that misfortune struck the one person in the world that he had? The only one that loved him and he loved in return? Why? WHY? It wasn’t fair… And to add to this wretch of a day, the people he had known since birth, that had watched and helped him grow, run him out of town with threats and garbage the moment they had seen him walk out of the burning building with his mother’s unnaturally cold body. 

Janus could still remember how they had ripped her away from him and thrown him into the street, uncaring of the burns and ash all over him. He’d heard some women wail as they took his mother’s body and the men and other people present had glared at him with such hatred, such…such… disgust. Janus curled into himself, hugging his shaking shoulders as he tried to forget those horrible stares behind the darkness of his eyelids. 

Had they always looked at him like that? Had he just been too stupid to think the people didn’t blame him for the bad things that happened? Had his mother been the only one to love him? 

The rest of that afternoon and night passed over Janus in the form of biting, chilly winds. They froze his tears and caused his teeth to chatter. His shoulders shook, but whether it was still grief or just the cold Janus had no idea. He welcomed the numbing cold, however. It placed his mind in a sluggish limbo, not awake, but not asleep, just there. He was shaken out of his thoughtless stupor by the morning dew that soaked into his body as the sun rose again. 

It was morning. Janus could almost convince himself that it was just another morning and his mother was still alive and the fire had never happened and he wasn’t an outcast, but he knew that behind him still rose the pillar of smoke that affirmed his situation. So Janus stood up and resolved not to look back as he continued down the road away from hi- the town. His mind and body knew what had happened, he didn’t need a reminder. The cold night had given his mind the time to get all feelings under control so they were only a painful throb in his chest. 

His newly cleared head pointed out to him that he was very much alone with no food, clothing, water, money, or shelter. The town had made his expulsion quite clear. That meant Janus now had to find another way to live. Yes, he had decided during the night, or more like unconsciously resolved, to keep on living. It didn’t seem fair to just give up and die. Life had played with him and stole from him so much already. Maybe Janus just didn’t want to make it easy. Maybe he wanted to put up a fight. Did it matter? Not really, he decided as he continued walking down the road. 

He would just live.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, WARNING here!  
> There is the used of some derogatory and racist language because as I said last time, Nagas are thought to be monsters. In addition to that Janus is a half-breed which makes things worse and he’s a homeless child, so you can guess how that may turn out.   
> ALSO, there is a slight panic attack, or at least a lot of fear/anxiety happening, so yah.   
> Read with caution and enjoy!

It had been a little more than a month and a half now, since The Tragedy, as he had named a certain event, had happened. Janus was, by now, about a hundred miles away from the original town where...yeah. He had traveled through about six different towns, staying for no more than five days in each. 

It was hard, this new life he was leading. There weren’t many who were willing to trust a thin, dirty boy with a half bandaged face enough to let him work in their shops. There were even less who would freely give him money in the streets. Imagine if they knew what was under the bandages.So he had to resort to stealing or scavenging in garbage alleys to get food, clothes, or any other thing he needed to survive. He was often hungry, and the clothes he wore were always nothing more than thin rags barely held together and often stank of filth. Keeping himself clean was another thing that worried him since he had many burns across his body that were vulnerable to infection as he healed. 

True enough, said infection eventually reached Janus. Fortunately it had only set in a few days previous, but medicine would be impossible to get and Janus knew he could die from this. He’d seen it happen. So, now Janus was thinking of how and where he could get some medicine from. 

Janus walked out of town, his small bag with belongings hanging over his shoulder, and decided that perhaps he should head into larger towns. He could scavenge more there, although water sources might be scarce. He also wondered what new dangers a larger, more populated location might bring. The small towns he often went through had many murderers, thieves, and other thugs, so he was scared what a bigger place might hold. Maybe security would be better at keeping order there. 

About three days later, Janus was walking up the road that led to the Central Kingdom’s gates. 

Okay, so maybe he had been a bit too eager to explore a larger place when he chose to come to the Central Kingdom of all places. Like, this was the largest city. But Janus had heard that the Kingdom was relatively peaceful and easygoing, so maybe it would be fine. 

It wasn’t. 

Getting inside the city was no problem. He just had to blend in with another group of travelers and keep his head down. Once inside, Janus had decided that he could let his inner child free for a while and explore all around because, wow this place was amazing! He’d never seen so much sparkling and bright clothing and big pretty houses and the heavenly smells came from everywhere as well as a variety of music. He could see performers and entertainers parading down streets doing their tricks and elaborate motions to attract potential providers. Colorful fabric lined outside market stalls, along with beautiful pottery and delicious looking treats. Surely among all this abundance someone could spare him some money, or even a bottle of medicine, he’d thought. 

He hadn't been sure where to start searching, since there was so much life and energy all around him, so he had just kind of led himself by the huge, towering castle in the center of the city in hopes of finding something. But he’d still been so mesmerized that he kind of forgot he was looking for something in the first place. Maybe that's why he barely even noticed when he found himself at the bottom of the road up to the castle. 

Well, he'd decided then, why not try the castle? They're surely rich and would have compassion on a small dirty child that is clearly in the need of some medicine, right? As long as they didnt see the scales under his bandaged face or hand and arm he should be fine.

That's when things took their turn for the worst. He reached the top of the hill and the gates to the castle when he was stopped by a guard. That wasn't unnatural. What really set Janus on edge was when the guard grabbed his arms and began shaking him.   
“You don’t belong here, kid. Go get lost down in the city. You infected scum think you can just taint the royal home because you’re so pitiful”, the man sneered.

“I just wanted some medicine,” Janus said, pulling against the grip on his right arm. 

“Well, we’re not a charity care. We won’t waste resources on the forsaken.”

“Fine, then I’ll just leave! Just let me go!”, Janus snapped, still struggling. 

“Oh ho, what have you got there, James?”, a different voice questioned and laughter from more followed. Janus was quickly growing scared, his breath entering and leaving him so rapidly that he barely had enough oxygen to think. He had to get out of here. There were so many people. His scaled arm was in a grip and if they saw…

“Some outcast scum trying to get some medicine,” the original guard, James, informed the arriving group. 

“Oh, so a thief.”

“Sure, we could call him that. I’m sure there’s truth in that.”

“I’m not a thief, I just wanted to ask for some medicine! Please, let me go! I’ll just leave if I’m not wanted here!”, Janus begged, feeling his head begin to pound in time with his heart and his sight beginning to blur. This had been a mistake. He needed to get away!

“Oh, I’m sure you’re not wanted anywhere”, the second guard sneered as his group laughed. “Just like I’m sure you weren’t just going to ask for medicine. You’re not stupid to think that it would be free, right? You’re nothing more than a scavenging rat that knows nothing more than to steal. And we know what to do with thieving rats, don’t we boys?”, the man continued with a smirk. The guards whooped and laughed. 

“No!”, Janus screamed, and with a sudden burst of strength from desperation he was able to rip his arm out of the first guard's grip. He felt the bandages tear and fall from a part of his arm, but he was more preoccupied in escaping down the road and back into the bustling city. 

Unfortunately, he didn’t really stand a chance against full-grown, healthy men who worked as guards. 

A heavy kick to the side sent him sprawling on the ground. A pair of hands held him down, chest to the ground, face pressed down and looking to the side. Another pair of hands kept his legs from flailing. 

“Look here, sir”, the guard holding his upper body down called. Janus felt his right arm be moved into view next to him and his haywire nerves were suddenly washed over by cold fear. 

“Well, I guess we have a snake instead of a rat”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Janus let out a muffled groan as he landed on the dirty, cold stone floor of the castle’s dungeon. A loud clang echoed behind him signaling the barred doors to the cell he’d just been thrown into were closed. 

“Unnatural. I don’t know why it exists anymore. Didn’t they disappear years ago?”

“That’s what was said, yes. But it seems they really are parasites from hell. Disgusting. We should just kill it”. 

“The king said keep it alive, so we keep it alive. I’m sure he’ll kill it eventually”. 

The voices began to fade as the two guards vanished down the hall and up some stairs, but Janus could still hear them talking. Their indifferent attitude towards what happened to him frightened Janus. He hadn’t known hate could run so deep. 

When the voices were finally gone, Janus sat up, the chains trailing from his hands to his ankles and neck clinking loudly in the deathly silence. He pulled himself over to the far wall and sat with his knees to his chest and arms wrapped around in the corner. He glared down at the exposed, yellow-green scales on his arm, now free of bandages just like his face. Why was… why was he so hated? Anger turned to a hopeless sadness and Janus felt a sob wrack his body. 

“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay”, he repeated over and over to himself in an effort to calm himself. It was a lie. He knew he was lying to himself, but he needed to reassure himself there cou- was still hope. He just needed to clear his mind, slow his breathing, and relax. He could do something, he knew he could. It would be fine. Just escape the dungeon, find a way back to the streets, and soon he would be-.

“Who you talking to?”

Janus' head snapped up to the sudden voice. A boy with brown hair and equally brown eyes stared at him curiously from the other side of the barred door. He wore a high quality white tunic with golden tassels and white pants with high black boots. A rumpled green sash crossed diagonally down his chest. 

“Who are you?”, Janus asked cautiously, moving a hand to rub at his face. The clothing looked really costly. 

“No fair, I asked you a question first,” the boy complained with a pout. That caught Janus slightly off-guard. Why did this kid seem so at ease with him? Didn’t he think-?

“Why are you talking to me?”, Janus asked, not exactly sure how to express his surprise to the kid. 

“Cuz you look cool! Also, you were talking alone and I thought it might be better if you talked to someone. That’s what my brother says when I talk alone, although-”

“You think I’m cool?”, Janus breathed, unintentionally interrupting the kid. 

“Well, yeah! You have scales and a snake eye, but you look like a normal kid too!”, the kid said excitedly, almost bouncing on his feet. “Do you eat rats like snakes do?”, he asked in a whisper, leaning in as if he were sharing a secret. 

“No?”

“Oh, damn. I’ve never seen someone eat a rat and I wanted to. See? I caught the biggest, nicest rat I could”, the kid said with a grin, promptly pulling out the creature from a pocket by the tail. Janus grimaced.

“But if you don’t eat this, that’s fine too. I don’t think I could catch rats everyday anyways.” What? Was this kid willing to go out of his way to feed him? 

“Anyhow, imma have to go. I left Roman running around the castle searching for evil ghosts. Haha, that guy is so gullible”, the kid said with a laugh, beginning to turn away from the cell. 

“Wait! You didn’t tell me your name…”, Janus said shyly. 

“Yeah, cuz you didn’t answer my first question either!”, the kid retorted, but there was no real heat in the words.   
“Oh, um, I was talking to myself”, Janus responded. 

“Yeah, I guessed that after. I’m smart like that, ya know? Anyways, my name is Remus”, the kid, Remus, said. 

“I’m Janus”

“Cool! I’ll come back later, Janus. Then we can talk more. Oh, this is great! I’ll finally have a friend and I can rub it in Roman’s face! None of his friends are as cool as you! Bye, Janus! I’ll be back!” With that, Remus ran down the dungeon hall and up the stairs. Janus leaned back against the wall, letting his head drop against it. What a weird child. Then a smile crossed his face. 

It seemed he had a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Achievement unlocked: First Friend, and it is none other than the beloved trash man.   
> Or trash boi, in this circumstance. He’s still quite innocent compared to his older self.   
> And, yay for Janus! He has found someone who will show him there’s nothing wrong with what he is. 
> 
> Anyhow, that’s that! Hope y’all enjoyed. New chapter will be on Friday, so look forward to that.   
> Stay safe and have a good week!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus and Remus have a unique friendship, but they’re happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey peeps! Here’s the next chapter.  
> WARNING: Remus makes some weird comments about bugs, so if that makes you uncomfortable then yeah.  
> ALSO, there is some...verbal abuse both mentioned and directly from a father at the end, so read carefully.  
> Now, go and enjoy the chapter!

“Janus! Janus, hey! Guess what I brought today?!”

Janus turned towards the loud voice waiting for its owner to appear running down the hall. It had been about a week since he’d first met the younger kid. True to his promise then, the kid had come back every day, at least two times each day, to sit down in front of his cell and talk, eat, and play some games with him. It was heart-warming for Janus, to say the least. 

“Hmm, based on the moist air in here and that small puddle by the corner, I would say you brought soggy, dirt crusted worms”, Janus said in a sophisticated voice that he always used to guess what weird thing Remus brought each day for fun. 

“Haha, nope! Although that’s a great idea!”, Remus exclaimed, stopping in front of the cell. 

“I aim to please,” Janus said in a mock humble tone. Remus gave a sly grin. 

“I’d like to see what you mean… Or would it be feel? Hmm..”

“Ugh, Remus, seriously, where do you learn all these things? Do you even know what you’re implying with those words?”, Janus asked, slightly disturbed by how easily Remus would say stuff like this. 

“Yeah! Do you?”, Remus answered with another sly smirk and a wink. 

“Yes, Remus, I do. That’s why I ask. You’re heading down a dark path, buddy”. Remus laughed while Janus could only shake his head. 

This was pretty common between them. Remus would bring some type of insects or other disgusting creature he found ‘fascinating’ (seriously, dung beatles?), he’d convince Janus to play some weird game with them, they would probably end up in some weird conversation thanks to Remus’ common odd comments, and from there they’d find themselves just talking about some part of their lives. Mostly it was Remus talking about pranks he’d pull on his brother, or funny stories about him and his brother, or just any other mischief. Sometimes Janus would tell a story from his own childhood, but they tended to remind him of The Tragedy. In those moments, Remus would always get quiet for a while to give him space before bringing him back with some unusual remark. 

The friendship between them was unique, but worked out well. They both found it really easy to talk to each other and they could go on about nearly anything. They also knew how to comfort each other, which was surprising since neither was good with people. Also, Remus found someone to look up to and learn from, but that would still listen to him and make him feel valid, while Janus found someone to bring a little normalcy and lightheartedness into his life that seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time with him. So they both benefited from the friendship. 

“So, what’s your plan for today?”, Remus asked with a little grin after the two roaches (eugh) he had brought had run off. 

“What am I supposed to say? Take a swim?”, Janus asked sarcastically, carefully maneuvering the chains around his legs from his hands so he could sit more comfortably. 

“Oh, I’m sure that oversized puddle in the corner would be delightful for a dip. Too bad snakes can’t swim!”, Remus laughed. Janus responded with a fake laugh. 

“Oh, you’re so funny. I can swim as a matter of fact, but you would never find me in water that dirty”, Janus retorted. 

“Aw, why not? It could be fun! Just imagine all those squirming, slimy bugs and parasites slithering and burrowing into wet, uncovered skin as you relax your hot body in the cool water.”

“First of all, that’s disgusting. Second of all, why? Why do you think of this?”, Janus asked exasperated.

“Cuz it’s fun! Watching people squirm uncomfortably as they try to figure out what to say next? Hilarious!” Remus laughed. Janus chuckled along after a moment, the younger boy’s laugh too contagious not to. 

“You really make staying a dungeon feel better than it is.” Janus said with a smile. 

“Well, you’re more fun to hang out with than Roman”, Remus answered with his usual grin. 

“More fun than your brother?”

“Yeah! He’s so gullible and predictable it’s boring sometimes. Doesn’t mean I don’t love him though. He’s still my brother.”

“That he is. So, um, have you heard anything about what’s going to happen to me?” Janus asked after a moment. Remus face immediately turned serious as he thought. 

“No, I haven’t heard anything. Maybe they forgot about you?”, Remus said hopefully. 

“Hmm. If they did, would you help me escape?”, Janus asked, then regretted it when he saw a slightly alarmed expression pass through Remus’ face. “I mean, it’s not like I want to leave you, but I also don’t want to spend the rest of my life in a small cell and they wouldn’t miss me if I was gone and I could stay in the city or come visit the city and you could probably see me there because, I mean, you’re obviously important if you live here and-”

“I get it, Janus. Living in a cage isn’t as great as being out there, I know”, Remus said, stopping Janus’ rambling. “And, yes, I would help you. You’re my friend. You just...caught me off guard with your question. But, yes, I would help you be free again. And then maybe I could buy show you my favorite place out there!”, Remus continued, an odd determination on his, once again, grinning face. 

“Thanks Remus. You’re awesome,” Janus smiled. 

“I know.”

“Oh, get out of here you shit-eating imp!”, Janus exclaimed, raising a hand to pretend push Remus away. Remus pretended to fall away from the cell with a hurt expression, but the grin on Janus’ face and the twinkle in Remus’ eye showed it was all for good fun. 

“Fine! I’ll leave to where I’m really appreciated! See ya tomorrow, snake boy!”. With that, Remus pulled himself up, waved at Janus, and ran down the hall to the stairs. Janus was left chuckling to himself with a smile. Then he moved to the back of his cell once more. 

It would be another long afternoon it seemed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remus was successful in slipping back into the polished marble hallways where several servants walked to and fro getting things for his family and the noble families that lived here as well. He wasn’t trying to hide the fact that he was in the dungeon from them. No, they knew he tended to spend time in the lower part of the castle normally, even before Janus had been captured. He was trying to hide the fact he spent time in the dungeon from the king. Why? Well, the king was his father and he did not want Remus being anymore poisoned by unworldly things. In other words, Remus was a failure of a son and a prince and the only things they could do know was isolate him from the world so nobody would know about the failure of the royal family. 

Remus had told some of this to Janus, as well as how frustrated he felt about it, but he had left out the part of being a prince. He still kind of wanted to protect his family’s honor and reputation by at least keeping their identities secret. It was just his parents who were like that anyways, and his uncle and cousins, but Roman didn’t treat him like some weirdo, so Remus didn’t want Roman to seem like a bad guy with the rest of their family. 

Remus reached the door to his room safely and he quickly slipped inside. He turned and was ready to throw himself at his bed, but instead he was frozen in place by a piercing amber stare. 

“Roman was wondering where you were.” The king spoke with a frightening calm to his voice. Remus’ heart stuttered, but he forced himself to remain calm, pressing his fisted hands to the sides of his legs to hide the subtle shake. Remus’ father continued to stare his son down from where he sat on the bed, then he spoke again. 

“You’ve been in the dungeons.”  
Remus grasped at his fleeing words and forced himself to speak. 

“Yes. I am often in the dungeons. It’s where I find new things to play with”, Remus said, deciding to go with a semi truth. 

“Have you been talking to that snake too?”

“I, uh, no, I haven’t-”

“Don’t lie to me, boy!”, the king thundered suddenly and Remus couldn’t help but flinch back at the sudden loudness. 

“I’m sure that worthless creature has taught you more than enough of that! It was a mistake to keep it here. I should have killed it when it first arrived”, the king muttered, now beginning to pace around the room. Remus continued to stand still by the door. 

“Disgusting monsters do nothing but destroy and you were already half broken anyway. I was so stupid to let it into the palace. That’s probably exactly what it wanted! But now it’ll see what it really means to be in the dungeons. Don’t worry Remus, that creature will be dead before tomorrow ends,” the older man said turning back to Remus. 

“Dead?”. Remus felt the blood drain from his face. “No. No, you can't kill him! He- he’s -”

“Don’t argue with me, Remus! This is the best course of action. We can’t have things like that contaminating this family anymore than what it already is. Once we get rid of that we can continue to-”

“Janus is not a ‘that’! He is my friend and I won’t let you kill him!”.  
The king had walked up to Remus and grabbed him by his shirt before the boy even realized he had interrupted his father. 

“Creatures like those are only ‘friends’ with other monsters and if you don’t behave and keep saying stupid things like that, I will erase you from this family and throw you out another unwanted creature. You are a prince and it is high time you began acting like one.” The king put him down a lot more gently than how he had grabbed him. “I have tolerated your unroyal behavior and barbarous speech for too long. From now on I myself will foresee your education and pastimes to ensure you become a proper prince,” the king continued. “Now, change out of these filthy clothes and put on something proper. It is almost time for the family dinner.” With that, Remus’ father walked out the room without so much as another glance at Remus, leaving the young boy bewildered and shaken. Remus stayed where he stood for a few more minutes before he allowed himself to drop to the floor. 

What had just happened? 

Janus…Janus was going to die. 

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, it seems Remus might actually have to help Janus escape now, huh?
> 
> Sorry if Janus and Remus seem OOC. This is my first time writing them (any of them really) and I don’t know if it’s okay.  
> Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I know it was kind of heavy at the end and sorry for that.  
> Maybe I should add some tags...  
> Well, hope everyone is staying safe! Take care where ever you are and remember Black Lives Matter!  
> Have a good day/night!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escape...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here’s the next chapter!  
> WARNINGS - Panic attack that might get too descriptive. I have put a ***stop*** and **done** where it starts and ends if you want to skip that. Nothing important is mentioned there so you won’t miss anything.  
> ALSO - some strong language. I didn’t put that in the last chapter, so sorry to anyone who didn’t like certain words used.
> 
> And that’s it I think! Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Family dinner that day was very awkward. At least for Remus. After spending at least ten more minutes trying to calm down and not let his exaggerated thoughts bury him in a panic attack, Remus had stood up and managed to dress himself in a good enough outfit for the dinner. Now he sat at the long dining table with his father to his left at the top of the table and his mother across from him. His uncles and his aunt with their respective spouses and children were here too, which made this dinner a lot more stressful in his opinion. At least Roman sat to his right, forming a barrier between the rest of his family on that side. Also, his faithful brother kept him distracted from his father’s stern stare and his mother’s uncertain glances, despite not knowing what exactly was up. That’s why he loved his brother. 

After the family dinner, Remus was quick in slipping back to his room. He felt bad for leaving Roman, but he needed to plan. If Janus really would get executed tomorrow then that meant Remus would have to help him escape tonight. It didn’t matter what his father had said, he had already told Janus first that he would help him. It would have to be tonight.  
Unfortunately, that night when Remus tried to sneak out of his room with a bag full of handy things for Janus he found that his room was being guarded by a pair of guards. 

Dammit! Of course his father would decide to post guards outside his room. What was he going to do now? He couldn’t help Janus escape tonight, but tomorrow he would get killed. He didn’t know what to do… He was just a kid! He shouldn’t have to—need to—be worrying about things like saving a friend from freaking death! Why—?!

A sob tore through his throat and Remus slapped his hand over his mouth immediately. He couldn’t— he couldn’t let the guards outside hear him cry. They would come in and ask what was wrong. Then they would see the bag full of clothes and other things and they would probably have more questions. Since Remus would never answer them, they would only take him to his father and his father would know exactly what all this was about and that would only make him execute Janus that much sooner and then Remus really wouldn’t be able to do anything and he would lose the only outside friend he had and then he would be forced to give up all his childhood to learn how to be a ‘proper’ prince and—and…

******Stop******

Remus gasped for breath, while still keeping his hand over his mouth. Tears streamed from his eyes which explained his blurred vision, but not the darkness that seemed to be creeping in and the tilting of the floor. His head felt like bursting, but so did his heart and he wasn’t sure which one was real or which one hurt more or how to stop the painful tightness in his chest because _he couldn’t breathe and he felt so light, but he had to breathe. He had to come back because—because he had a friend. He finally had a friend who wasn’t scared, was just like him! And he couldn’t—he couldn’t…couldn’t let him… couldn’t let him die! Yes, he was going to get killed tomorrow, but it was night. The guards… there were guards. He couldn’t go now, not now. How? Why? Dammit! He—air. He needed air. He needed to breathe. That was something humans needed to survive. Right. Deep breath, 2...3...4. (Was he doing it right?). Hold breath, 3...4...5...6...7 (Was his chest loosening?). Now out (right?), 3...4...5...6...7...8. (Was he okay?)_

******Done******

Slowly, he focused again on his carpet-covered floor. It was closer than before. Was he on the floor? His heart thundered in his chest under his elbows, but it felt under control now. His chest still hurt, but it was more of a disappearing echo. He was shaking. He could see his arms trembling as he brought them down from his mouth to hug his midsection. His hands were wet too, probably from the tears he still felt rolling down his face, and the snot and saliva, but he was too out of it right now to make some type of joke. All he could do was continue breathing in and out as he held himself, while he reorganized his mind and gave himself time to settle down and come back. 

When he felt himself stable enough, he looked up from the floor and pushed himself up with the wall. He carefully walked over to his door again and glanced out, making sure the guards hadn’t noticed anything, or that maybe they were gone. They were still there, but they hadn’t noticed anything, so good enough. Now Remus had to get back to the problem at hand. Checking his wall clock he realized a lot more time had passed than what he’d felt. It had been about 8:30 when he’d walked into his room. Now it was 9:00. Gathering things for Janus had taken sometime, but the rest of that time had been the anxiety attack and calming down. Damn. Well, it didn’t matter. He felt better now. He could still feel worry and fear twisting his insides, but he was in control this time. At least that and the intrusive thoughts that kept wanting to barge into his mind would keep him awake tonight as he planned. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remus didn’t know when he had fallen asleep, but it must have been at some time because he found himself waking up the next morning. He shoved some more of his prancing things into a box, grabbed the bag for Janus, and made his way out of his room. It was still kind of early, judging from the sun, so hopefully his usual antics would make him less suspicious running around with a box full of things. The guards outside his room were gone for some reason, but Remus didn’t have it in him to care right now. 

He reached the throne room with no problems and got to work immediately. He loosened the knots of the ropes attached to the rolled-up drapes over each large throne window and used the decoration spears to tuck either pepper, slime, and smoke bombs into place so they would fall and explode when he pulled the ropes. He thought a bit, then decided he would need to pull on all six window drapes at the same time to create the optimal shock. He grabbed some invincible string from his box and divided the long roll into different pieces of string which he tied to each drape rope, longest piece to the furthest drape from the dais and shortest to the closest. Then he braided the three strings on each side together and tucked it against the wall behind the hanging decorative spears. When he reached the back of the throne room by the dais, Remus hid the string behind the hangings on the back wall behind his father’s and mother’s thrones. His own throne, as well as his brother’s were smaller and placed between and slightly behind their parents’. Remus made sure the two braided strings would be easy to find and reach. Once that was done, Remus worked on hiding two bags filled with other small items by the front legs of his throne where they would be covered by his throne’s decorative cloth. 

With the throne room weaponized, Remus now grabbed the bag with things for Janus, as well as a small map he had created, and ran out of the throne room. He turned about two corners from the room and stopped by a standing, decorative suit of armor. He tucked the bag on to the back of it, then stepped back to make sure it wasn’t visible. Satisfied, Remus now made his way back to his room. 

Back in his room, he hid his leftover supplies in his closet. Then he ate some of the breakfast left for him. A special outfit for today had also been left by a maid. He dressed quickly then tucked a pair of long pins as well as one smoke bomb he’d left out into his sash, making sure it wasn’t obvious. This bomb would be the start of his distraction. 

He spent the next hour with his family in their usual garden stroll trying to appear normal, but his stomach was churning with expectation. Then he spent the next two hours listening to people bring problem after problem to the king because somehow the whole kingdom had heard about what would be happening that day and had decided that it would only be fair if the king judged a few other cases. Then there were the other nosy people who had gathered into the throne room, with the nobles already here, to watch what would happen. Remus was so glad he had thought of a way to shroud the whole throne room. He couldn’t afford witnesses. However, the crowd of people also would work to increase the chaos. He shifted again, biting his lip to contain another tremble of both excitement and nerves. 

Finally, the long awaited moment arrived. The king told the guard to call in the final case.  
Janus walked in with the usual chains trailing from his neck, wrists, and ankles. A blindfold had been placed over his eyes, so he was guided roughly by two guards from his escort. Geez, what an exaggeration. 

Everyone began mumbling amongst each other, with a few boos in the crowd, as Janus was led to the dais. Even as he walked, Remus could see Janus shrink back slightly. He grit his teeth, but forced himself to keep his mind on the plan. A hush fell over the crowd when the king stood as soon as Janus was stopped before the large throne. 

“The time has come to complete our duty to the land, and to the Saindars spirit.” Remus slipped a hand into his sash as his father spoke. “We will clean the world from the impure blood of those that have given up their human forms to be mixed with evil.” Remus now slid the smoke bomb out and rolled it to his knee. “They betray the purity given to them by the Saindars spirit and search for others to drag into darkness. However, today we have the chance to send exile one to its rightful place. Today, we send this half-blood Naga, testament of the spreading disease, to hell!” 

A loud bang shook the throne room followed by a huge cloud of smoke that quickly enshrouded the dais and royal family. Not even two seconds later, six consecutive bangs, just as loud as the first, erupted from each window as the drapes fell and left the throne room in darkness and lots of smoke. Horrified screams broke the shocked silence first, most likely from those covered in slime, followed by pained screams from those with pepper in their eyes, and then frightened screams from everyone else in the throne room who had no idea what had just happened. 

People crashed into each other, ran and stepped over each other, fought each other as everyone tried to save themselves. More bangs would randomly go off as people stepped on small pellets that began to appear on the floor. Guards tried to bring order, but their armored outlines and weapons only brought more panic. 

Janus had dropped to the ground and covered his head with his arms as he trembled and tried to make sense of the screaming, thick air, and the occasional shove or kick. The sensory overload was beginning to affect him, his breathing starting to increase and tears springing to his eyes. 

“Oh, shit. Um, give me a moment, Janus.” The familiar voice pierced Janus’ fear and the half-blood felt hands behind his head fumbling with the blindfold. 

“Remus,” Janus sighed in relief, “is this your doing?”

“Yup, I wasn’t going to let my father kill my best friend!”

“Your...father?”. Janus then noticed the fancier court outfit and things clicked into place. “You’re one of the princes.”

“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t tell you. I, um-”. Janus interrupted Remus with shake of his head. 

“You don’t have to explain. At least not now. If I understand correctly, this plan is to get me out of here, right?”, Janus pointed out. 

“Oh, right!” Remus exclaimed, then winced at his loudness. “Okay, let me take these things off first. Then we can get out of her.” Remus worked quickly on Janus’ chains, picking the locks with the pair of pins in his sash. 

“Okay, let’s go”.  
The boys wrestled their way out of the throne room, holding hands tightly to avoid losing each other. Remus would occasionally throw an exploding pellet into the smoke. 

Finally, they found the throne room doors. They carefully opened it and slipped out before closing it again. Ha, stupid people. They should've just opened the door. 

Remus led the way down the same path he had taken in the morning after his preparation in the throne room, and soon the two boys were standing by the suit of armor. 

“Okay, this is for you,” Remus said handing a winded Janus the bag he’d hidden, “and this—” Remus pulled the spear held by the armor hand to reveal a hidden path—“is your way out.” Janus could only stare in surprise. 

“There’s a map in the bag to help guide you completely out of the palace after you reach the end of the passage. There’s also clothes, some money, some food, a little medicine and bandages. Um, there’s a mask and eyepatch you could use to hide your face if you want. Or you could just use the cloak and-”

“Wait, aren’t you coming with me?”, Janus interrupted with a confused frown. 

“No, I’m sorry. I’m a prince, I can’t just disappear. And I can’t leave my family either,” Remus explained. 

“Why? From what you’ve told me they don’t exactly treat you good,” Janus retorted. 

“Ok, fine. I don’t care about my parents, or at least, not as much as I care about Roman. He’s my brother. I’ve been with him for forever and I can’t just leave him. We need each other,” Remus said, glancing down at his feet. Janus sighed. 

“Fine. I get it. I just hope we can see each other again. You are my best friend after all.” Janus smiled. Remus returned the smile with his own grin. 

“You’re so sappy, Janus. You’re my best friend too.” The boys hugged and then Janus vanished into the passage, bag over his shoulder. Remus looked down after him for a few seconds, then closed the passage door.

It was done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was that. Hopefully the chapter wasn’t too slow. Or rushed. I don’t even know. I hope it was okay. (And did anyone pick up on Saindars spirit? Wink wink)
> 
> Next chapter: Dealing with the family! That was supposed to be in this one, but the chapter looked kind of long. So, I might post the next chapter on Tuesday. 
> 
> Also, thank you so much for your kudos! Your love and support through this means so much to me!  
> I hope everyone is staying safe! Take care where ever you are! Protect each other and love each other!  
> Bye!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not so happy family and a lot of tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the promised early chapter. It was supposed to be part of the last chapter, but, like I said, didn't want to overload you guys. But I also didn't want to add this to the next chapter and so it got it's own. :)
> 
> Also, the chapter gets pretty heavy because, as some of you may have guessed, Remus' reunion with his family leads to getting abandoned. So, read carefully guys. 
> 
> However, there is some wholesomeness at the end, so look forward to that!

Remus took the long way down to the gardens to avoid anyone, but his efforts were for nothing because the people he _most especially_ didn’t want to see now were at the gardens. 

“Remus! Remus are you okay?”, Roman asked as he ran up to his twin brother and began to check him over. 

“Um, I’m fine Roman,” Remus answered, comforted somewhat by his brother’s concern. 

“Oh good! I got worried when I couldn’t find you next to me after the smoke appeared. It was scary! But not for me ‘cause I’m a brave warrior and I totally didn’t scream in there. Some guards got us out, but you weren’t there so I thought maybe you had gotten scared and run into the crowd, which is kind of dumb, but that’s okay cuz I won’t judge. Also, the snake kid is missing somehow. I think someone helped him, but nobody knows who yet and-”

“Roman, please settle down and sit next to your mother. I’m sure if you give Remus a chance to speak, he will be able to tell us what happened in the throne room”, their father spoke suddenly and his tone brokered for no arguments. Roman glanced at Remus nervously then went over to sit by his mother. The king turned to Remus. 

“Do those look familiar?”, the king asked, throwing something at Remus. The kid caught them in his hands and looked down at the remains of some of his bombs. 

“Uh, I don’t think so…”, Remus answered, unable to fully lie under his father’s scrutinizing glare. 

“Is that so? Then perhaps Roman can help.” The king turned towards Roman this time and took out more small pieces of plastic, dropping them into Roman’s hand. “Tell me, son, do these look familiar?”, the king asked again. Roman glanced over at Remus then looked down at his hands. 

“Um, yeah, I think. When Remus used his slime bombs they would leave...stuff...like this…”. The prince’s words trailed off as he realized what was happening. 

“I find it convenient that you cannot seem to recognize your own work, Remus,” the king spoke again, taking the remains from Roman’s hands and turning back to face Remus. 

“I, uh-”

“There’s no need for another word. I know what happened here,” the king interrupted with a raised hand. “Prince Remus of the Guardian Kingdom of the Saindars Spirit, I, as king of this land and representative of the Spirit, remove you from the royal family. All evidence of your existence shall be eliminated from the royal castle and the kingdom. No one shall speak your name or remember your place in this kingdom. You shall be like the dead and as such you shall live. You will be exiled from this city, under threat of death if you ever return. And may the curse of the spirit follow you and all those who side with you for you have helped the curses of this land.”

Remus stood shocked at his father’s declaration, his mind trying to accept that yes, his own father of flesh and blood had just cast him out of the family without so much as a flicker of remorse in his face. He had spoken as if he was sentencing any other criminal. His own father! What-?!

“Guards, take this rat to the streets where it belongs.”

To the- No! Oh gosh, his father really meant it! He was really going to throw him out just like that!

“Father! Father, no! Please, don’t do this!.” Remus threw himself out of the guards reach and to the ground in front of his father. “You can’t throw me out, father! I’m sorry! I’m sorry for what I did! I won’t do it again! Please! Please don’t leave me! I won’t cause any more problems, I promise! I’ll do everything you say! I’ll be what you want me to be! I don’t want to leave my family! Please, father! Don’t leave me!”, Remus begged hysterically, grabbing unto his father’s legs. The man looked down at the crying kid with an unreadable expression. 

“Who is this father you speak to?”, he said coldly. Remus felt something in him freeze over, momentarily stopping his tears and sobs. The guards behind him grabbed him in his moment of stillness before Remus numbly looked over to the woman sitting still behind the king. 

“Mother. Mother! Mother, help me! I don’t want to go, Mother! I don’t want to leave! Mother, please! I’m sorry! Mother!!”. She turned her face away from his cries.

“Roman! Roman, help me! Help me, Brother! Don’t let them take me! Roman! It’s me, Remus! I’m your twin brother! I tease you and I prank you, but you love me anyway! Please, Roman! You’re my hero! Help me!”, Remus screamed desperately, pleading with tear filled eyes for Roman to be with him, just like they’d always been there for each other. Please…

“I’m sorry, Remus. Princes kill the scary monsters. But you helped one instead. Father says that makes you the villain,” Roman answered in a quivering voice before looking away from his sibling and hugging the queen. 

Remus felt the last of something that had been thoroughly cracked by now shatter as he was dragged out of the royal garden with tears streaming down his empty eyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This is more than you deserve, kid. Be grateful the king didn’t just kill you right there.” Remus was thrown in the back alley of some street with absolutely no care about how or in what he landed. 

“But this is kind of a lot. I mean, look at the kid! He won’t survive for more than a week in the streets, especially out there,” the second guard spoke. 

“Hey, don’t look at me, I’m just saying. But if you want to go against the king, then be my guest.” 

Remus tuned out the guards conversation, choosing to sit down as he’d seen Janus do the first time he saw him, with his back pressed to the wall of the alley and his knees raised to his chest. He stared at the floor, losing himself in the numb nothingness that made up his mind right now. All the tears and desperation from earlier seemed to have drained out of him completely, taking with it all sense of feeling and emotions. It left him like a flaccid...never mind. Not in the mood. 

Slowly, a new emotion began to rise in him as he kept on replaying everything that had happened over and over again. How could his own family reject him like that? He’d begged and screamed and cried and they had all just turned away! He could understand his father and mother, but it still hurt. However, Roman! His own brother! The one he had literally grown up with! They were supposed to be inseparable! How could they?! How could **_he?!_**

Remus slammed a fist on the ground next to him in quiet rage, then did it again when the pain brought him something else to concentrate on. Still filled with so much fire, Remus leapt to his feet then kicked the wall once with a scream. He screamed again, this time punching the wall twice with his hands. The answering pain forced him to back down, panting hard as he glared at the dirty wall. He paced around a bit more before screaming again, raising his hands to grip and tug at his hair. He didn’t know what to do now. He felt lost, scared, angry, hurt… What was he supposed to do now? 

He turned to his left and suddenly spotted a small brown bag where the guards from earlier (when had they left?) had stood. Remus moved towards it. Something inside clicked and jingled when he picked it up. He opened it and was surprised to find 6 gold coins inside. Had one of the guards left this for him? 

“Remus! Remus, where are you?” Hushed, yet insistent whispers distracted Remus from his thoughts and he looked up in their direction. 

“Janus?”, Remus whispered uncertainly, moving towards the entrance of the alley. A flash of yellow scales and gray covered his sight for a second as he felt someone barrel into him and push him back into the alley. 

“Stay down, it’s okay,” Janus’ familiar voice soothed him as the older boy hugged the younger to his chest. 

“Janus? What are you doing here?”, Remus questioned, pushing himself away. 

“I had to stay around, make sure you would be fine after helping me. I knew things might get bad, especially with how your parents viewed you, but I didn’t...Gosh...I am so sorry Remus.” Janus pushed back his hair and hood with a hand in a motion of hopelessness. “This whole mess is **_my_** fault. If it wasn’t for me you would still be living with your family, however bad they may be. I never wanted this to happen, Remus. I know what it’s like to lose family and I didn’t want to cause that in someone else’s life! Please believe, Remus! I know it’s no good now, but I really am sorry and if you would let me I will do all I can to help you-”

“Hey, Janus, it’s okay. I..I don’t hate you,” Remus assured, a tad bit surprised himself with his own words. But they were true. In all his anger and hurt he had not even thought of Janus as being the cause. Janus was a kid who was nice and funny and he was his friend. His parents only called him a monster even though they had never actually talked to Janus. And his brother had betrayed their sibling trust. No, in this story, they were the villains. 

“I don’t hate you, Janus”, he repeated with more certainty, “this is not your fault. Fa- I mean, the king was just too stupid to see how nice you actually were.” Janus felt himself positively melt inside with those genuine, heartfelt words. 

“You’re right. The king is stupid. Too stupid to see what a great son he is losing,” he responded. Remus looked up at Janus with a surprised look, then the younger face crumpled again and Janus pulled the kid into a hug again. He held Remus in that alley for a while, patting the younger’s head while murmuring comforting words just like he remembered his own mother would do. 

When Remus’ sobs finally dwindled down to an occasional sniffle, Janus pushed the kid back gently, looking down at him. 

“Better?”, he asked softly. The kid nodded, wiping his nose with a hand. Janus smiled at him, then pulled them both up to their feet. 

“I know everything feels like it’s going too fast, but we have to leave. If any royal guard catches us now that it’s been two hours, it won’t be pretty. So we’ll have to leave the city. Are you ready for that?” Janus asked Remus. The kid nodded.

“Good. Let’s go then. A new adventure awaits us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope I was able to accurately capture everything that went down and I hope it was to your enjoyment! *sweatdrop*  
> (Also, did you guys catch some references?)
> 
> Next chapter should be up by Friday, but if it's not then expect it for Sunday. 
> 
> Again, thank you guys for your kudos! It is welcomed and appreciated. Stay safe, everyone, wherever you are! Protect each other and love each other!  
> Bye!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're on the road and what do they find...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh!  
> Hey guys! I'm so sorry I'm late. I really tried to post this yesterday but, alas, it was not meant to be.  
> It's here now, and I hope it makes up for the wait.  
> No warnings this time, I think. Maybe some semi-strong language...?  
> Anyways, go on, read, and hopefully enjoy more of the story!

The first few days were hard for Remus. He wasn’t used to walking so much, especially not on dusty dirt roads in the middle of hot afternoons. Janus was quick to notice that and decided to take breaks during the noon period of the day when the sun was the hottest. However, he couldn’t do much else about the walking and the dust clouds that left both kids covered in itchy layers of, well, dust. The lack of food and proper places to stay was another problem Remus was unaccustomed to, but for these Janus couldn’t do much. While the bag of money Remus had received would make things better for both of them for a while, it still wouldn’t last forever. However, all these things were simple to adapt to. What was harder to deal with were the emotional effects left by the events days prior. The rest of the day when it happened Remus had dissociated himself from the world and followed Janus out of the city blindly. It took a few more days after that for Janus to reassure the younger kid enough for him to go back to his usual self. He was still pretty quiet and preferred to stick close to Janus. He also seemed to need to be assured that he wouldn’t be left alone for saying ‘the wrong things’. Janus would constantly keep a hand on Remus’ shoulder, arm, or hand to keep him calm. He would also tell the younger boy that it was okay for him to share whatever went on in his mind, or anything interesting he might see or think of because he wouldn’t judge him or leave him for it. After all, who was he to judge anyway? A little more than a week later, Remus was back to sharing his unique comments and could run around the streets without concerning himself with where Janus was. 

The nights were a little harder to deal with, however. Over and over Remus would wake up from the burning, lonely world that met him in his dreams, screaming, crying and petrified he’d been left again. Janus could do nothing for him except wake him up and then hug him as the younger boy calmed down. Fortunately, as Remus got better during the daytime, his nightmares began to decrease as well. They were still there and when they came back Remus would revert back to his quiet self, but as time passed it became easier for Remus to separate dreams from reality and bounce back. A little over three weeks later, Remus was doing much better, which was a relief for Janus. He was only a twelve years old kid, how was he supposed to know what would help? Sure, he’d been outcast too, but that was just by his village, not family! And the kid was younger too! Well, Janus was just grateful that what he could do was enough. 

A month has passed now, during which Janus and Remus have traveled to about 8 different villages. As Remus had gotten better, his spirit for adventure had awakened and urged Janus to show him everything. Since Janus didn’t have any other plans, he’d agreed. Besides, watching Remus absorb all the new sights with wide-eyed curiosity brought Janus happiness as well. Janus and Remus were currently staying at another large village that had some really nice temples, or something like that. They’d heard about it on the roads and Remus had immediately wanted to go. They’d reached the place two days ago and spent yesterday and today walking around the open gardens that surrounded the beautiful temples and fountains. Janus had to admit, it was quite grand for a village so far from the Guardian Kingdom. 

“That was so much fun! And those statues are so cool! What were they called? Gar-go-lies? Gar-gy-ls?”

“Gargoyles.”

“Yah, that. How did they make them?”

“They carved them out of stone, I guess. I’m not really sure…”

“No, but I mean, are they copies of real things?”

“No. Well, maybe, but more exaggerated. Most are just imagined, though”.

“So they think like me? Oh, do you think they would accept suggestions!?”

“Maybe. They’re statues _do_ look old and boring now.”

“Yeah! My ideas would look soo much better! Can we come back tomorrow?”

“I think so. We have nowhere else to be and the people here have been content with ignoring us and giving us our space.” Remus grinned contently at Janus’ response and went back to running ahead and looking up at trees and other plants in their path. Janus just shook his head, preferring to preoccupy himself with their money bag. Well, it seemed like they were down to their last gold coin. Maybe Remus’ idea of bringing suggestions for the temple decorations would benefit them after all. He could sell those ideas, somehow. Being a smooth talker had become a needed talent born of the streets. If that didn’t work, then he’d have to steal some things tomorrow and then dip from this village. That last coin would pay for a few more supplies, food, and the room they’d been staying in. 

The two reached the common part of the village, Remus stopping to pick up something from the floor every now and then to show to Janus. Janus nodded with a small smile everytime he was shown something then continued thinking about what they would do after today. There still had Remus’ royal clothes from a month ago. They were quite fancy and would bring a good price, but he needed to ask Remus about that. The kid seemed quite attached to the green sash, after all, wearing it over the baggy black shirt he had now. However, Janus didn’t really want to start stealing around Remus either. He knew he couldn’t protect him forever, but he would prefer not training another kid thief. Maybe his own--no, that would be hard to hide and Remus wouldn’t forgive himself, or anyone else for that matter, if he found out. Damn, Remus’ increasing temper could become a problem…

“Hey! Watch where you’re going, kid! Can’t you see I’m walking here?!”

Oh, there he went. 

“What happened, Remus?”, Janus asked, rounding a corner to look down the alley Remus had just run into for some reason. Remus sat on the floor, pushing aside a small boy that seemed to have knocked into the ex-prince. 

“I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me! I-i d-didn’t see you! I d-didn’t mean to hit y-you…”. The boy trailed off into a whispered mumbling as he watched Janus walk closer to them. The kid raised sleeve-covered hands up to cover his own head and seemed to shrink away from the two older kids. Remus looked at the kid weirdly, then up at Janus. 

“What’s his problem? Is he a wimp? Or am I scary? I’m not scary, right Janus?”, Remus whispered to Janus. Janus mentioned with a hand to be quiet and Remus huffed as he stood back up. The kid flinched back even more at the movement. 

“Why are you out here kid? If you’re scared of the streets then maybe you shouldn’t wander around dark alleys,” Janus told him. 

“Yeah! You never know what type of monsters you could find in the shadows…”, Remus added in a sinister voice, moving closer to the kid. “They might just decide they want...kid fingers dipped in blood!”, he screamed, waggling his fingers in front of the kid’s face with a creepy grin on his own. The kid shrieked and ended up running to grab on to Janus’ leg. 

“Uh, what? Remus, stop scaring the kid! We still need to stay another night here and I don’t want angry parents screaming at us!”, Janus snapped at Remus while also trying to untangle the kid’s fingers from his pant leg. 

“Pshh, as if they could find us again. Besides, if he snitches, he’ll get stitches!”, Remus reported, ending with another scary grin at the kid. 

“Spirits, Remus! You’re gonna give the kid nightmares!”

“Oops.”

“I won’t tell any parents.” The quiet whisper was almost lost amidst Janus and Remus’ exchange. 

“Oh, no, don’t believe Remus. You’ll only make his day. He won’t actually hurt you”, Janus assured the child. 

“I don’t care if he does. He wouldn’t be the only one anyways. But, I don’t have parents,” the kid said, stepping back from Janus. 

“Oh, my bad,” Remus apologized sheepishly. The kid shrugged. 

“What did you mean saying Remus wouldn’t be the only one?”, Janus asked. “Does someone else hurt you?”. Another shrug. 

“The older kids at the orphanage do. They like to chase me and throw things at me. They say it’s a game so whatever, I guess.”

“Aren’t adults supposed to stop stuff like that?”, Remus asked in confusion. More shrugs. 

“I don’t know? It doesn’t matter. I think it’s just me. The older kids say I shouldn’t bother others,” the kid told them, then a flash of fear crossed his eyes when he realized he might be doing just that right now. “Oh, I’m sorry! I-i didn’t mean to bother y-you with this. I should go. U-um, t-the orphanage is actually not so bad, so don’t worry about it. I’m being u-ungrateful. I-”.

“Why are you lying?”, Remus asked bluntly. The kid gaped at him. 

“You weren’t lying before, why are you lying now?”, Remus repeated. The kid began to wring his hands together, pulling nervously at the long sleeves. Janus decided to step in. 

“What he means is, you’re not bothering us. We are probably the one’s bothering you so-”

“No! You’re not bothering! I’m--Oh sorry! I interrupted you! Um.” The kid looked around nervously again. 

“It’s fine. It’s okay, don’t worry about it. I can keep going. I was just saying that we were the ones bothering because Remus here was scaring you. You were only answering our questions and that’s okay. Um, but maybe you should tell the adults at your orphanage about what happens with the other kids? I mean, you shouldn’t have to deal with their ‘games’,” Janus told the kid. 

“They would only call me an attention seeker or a weakling because I can’t handle it. Nobody will want me because I’m weak, and I’m a snitch, and I’m weird,” the kid told them, looking down. A small sniff followed after a few seconds. Janus looked up at Remus for help, but Remus just raised his hands up in surrender. 

“Uh, well, they could be wrong. Did you think of that? Maybe, the adults will actually be really nice and help you instead,” Janus told him, still unsure of what else to say. 

“But what if they’re not?! What if they’re right and no one ever adopts me because I’m ugly, and I’m a trouble, and a weak boy, and now I could be a tattle-tell and I will never have friends, or parents, or a family, and I’m going to grow up all alone in the world, if I grow up because I could die because I’m so weak and I’ll have no one to protect me and--and-”

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. You’re okay, right now. Um--” Janus hesitantly reached out an arm and slowly pulled the boy into a light hug. The kid began crying, holding on for dear life to Janus’ shirt while Janus helplessly patted the boy’s head. Remus laughed quietly to the side. Geez, it just never got easier. Why did these kids always find him?

After a few more minutes of tears, sobs, and snot, the kid calmed down and pushed himself away. 

“Sorry for your shirt,” he mumbled, wiping his nose and eyes with dirty sleeves. 

“It’s okay, you don’t need to apologize. Are you better now?” Janus asked. A nod.”Well, then, um, I guess we’ll go…”, Janus trailed off uncomfortably. 

“Okay, bye. Sorry I bothered you two,” the kid said, giving them a small wave before turning away to head to the opposite entrance of the alley. Remus looked at Janus then at the kid. Janus hesitated. 

“Actually, why don’t you come get some food with us? I’m sure Remus would love to share some of his garlic bread as an apology for scaring you, right?”, Janus said, nudging Remus. 

“Yeah, sure…”, Remus said with an eye roll. The kid turned around uncertainly, looked back the way he’d come, then back at the Janus and Remus. 

“Okay.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You really did that?! What did you do next?”

“Oh, that’s the best part! So, he really believed a ghost was coming to kill me, so that night I took off my day outfit and stuffed it with some pillows. Then I played it on the floor, spilled some fake blood over it, grabbed my plastic knife and stuck it in there too. I put on my white sleeping gown, smeared some blood on that too, smacked some flour on my face, and then, for good measure, I wrote a message on the wall…"

"What did you write?"

"I'll tell you in a second. When everything was ready I gave a loud scream! Roman ran into my room so fast he almost tripped over my body. That might have made it even more hilarious but the scream he gave then was even better! I almost die for real! Then he saw the message which said, "too bad he's all alone…""

"What did he do?"

"He started trembling like a baby! That's when I came up behind him and put a hand around his throat, then said, "will you join me, brother?"" Remus cackled as he finished his story, remembering the even louder scream of fear after that. He hadn't even seen the fake blood or flour on his face! The kid, Virgil, as they now knew, laughed shyly along with Remus. Janus laughed too, although he hid that behind a hand. The three kids were eating at a small restaurant and, much to the silent annoyance of the other customers, Remus had begun a grand storytelling time for Virgil.

"You're so mean, Remus! But brave too! Weren't you scared your brother would hate you after that?", Virgil asked when he could speak again. 

"No," Remus answered. "Even if Roman was mad at me for a while after that he i-was my brother and I knew he knew it was all for good fun. I loved him and he loved me which meant we would never hate each other." Then Remus' smile fell a little. "But I guess that's not very true now…"

Janus glared down at his food at the memory, and he promised one day he would go back to the place and give those arrogant, prissy royals a piece of his mind. Virgil seemed to sense the negative turn in feelings because he began to fidget nervously. 

"Um, well, I think you're pretty cool, Remus. A-and I think your parents and your brother were dumb to leave you," Virgil told the other kid nervously. "A, uh, a friend t-told me t-that, um, that it's not the kid's fault t-their parents leave. I-it's the mom and dad's fault because they--they didn't see how special their kid was", Virgil continued, wringing his hands. Janus was surprised with the kid's words. 

"Were you left by your parents?", he asked. 

"Um, kind of? My mom is dead, but my father walked out one day and didn't come back home. The adults say it's because of 'bad stars' or 'evil spirits' that I'm alone. No one can ever love or want something evil. It's my fault Mom died and Dad got a-ddic-ted to alcol? No, alcohol. It's my fault Dad's life was cursed", Virgil answered, picking at a loose thread. "My friend told me it wasn't my fault, but then they left me too, so maybe I cursed myself to…"

“Well, if you're different too then maybe you can come with us! We're pretty weird ourselves, so your 'curse' can do us no harm!", Remus exclaimed happily. Some people at the restaurant shushed Remus. Remus stuck out his tongue at them. 

“Really, you want me?”, Virgil asked in surprise. Janus was trying to speak through the coughing fit caused by choking on his drink. 

“Ah, well, um, that’s something we kind of have to think about, right Remus?”, Janus clarified rapidly as soon as he could talk. Then, seeing Virgil’s downcast face he was quick to add, “It’s not that we wouldn’t want you with us! It’s just that we’re kids and we don’t really have a lot of money or somewhere to go, so we wouldn’t be able to take much care of you and I think you deserve to have a chance to be something.”

“But he might not get anywhere with those bullies at the orphanage!”, Remus exclaimed and Janus couldn’t help but facepalm at the way Remus was totally undermining him right now. 

“Remus, we don’t have the ability to take care of another kid!”, Janus retorted. 

“Fine. Then how about we get rid of all the mean kids that bully him? Then he’ll be okay!”, Remus suggested. Virgil nodded happily. 

“Get rid? Are you implying what I think you’re implying? You’re ten years old, Remus! Why are you thinking about killing other kids?”, Janus asked dumbfounded. People around them looked at the odd group of kids with concern. 

“Then we’ll take him with us!”.

“We can’t just take him! Why are these your only two options?!”

“Um, if it helps, I doubt the adults at the orphanage would notice if I left. When my friend left about a year ago, nobody did anything,” Virgil put in. 

“See? C’mon Janus. Let’s take him! He’s so cute too!”, Remus urged. 

“My friend said it was illogical to stay at the orphanage anyway. It would be better to do things for himself instead of trusting hope,” Virgil spoke again.  
Janus rubbed his face with a groan, looking down at the two pleading faces that stared up at him. 

“Dammit! Fine, geez! Why’d your friend have to give you such good arguments? I was absolutely _not_ convinced by your puppy faces! Your friend’s words just make sense,” Janus rambled angrily, looking away from Remus and Virgil’s joyful faces. 

“Yay, new friend! I’m going to teach you everything I know! We’re going to be such a great team! I have so many ideas too!”

“Will you tell me more stories about your awesome pranks too?”

“Of course! And we’ll do some of our own as well! It’ll be great!”.

Damn, how did he get into these messes? How would he even care for another _even younger kid_ now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the Dark side child trio is complete with little Virgil! Not sure if I mentioned it, or if I might later one, but just in case, Virgil is 7. 
> 
> Anyways, poor Janus. Such a big responsibility for a 12-yr old. He'll have to mature real fast to keep them all alive on the streets. And, do you guys have an idea who Virgil's friend could be?
> 
> Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for your kudos and comments! They really make my day!  
> Stay safe everyone, wherever you are! Protect each other and love each other!  
> Until next Friday! (hopefully)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a time-skip chapter with some wholesomeness, for the most part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's the chapter for today.  
> I have to say, ya'll almost went without a chapter. I had an idea for how the chapter would go, then I lost it, then I got some writer's block, and then almost gave up. But I just couldn't leave you all without something.  
> So, here it is.  
> I'm not overly happy with how it came out, but I hope it is still enjoyable for you guys.  
> I also feel like it's shorter than past chapters, but some chapter is better than no chapter, right?  
> Right??  
> Ok, I'll let you read now. Hope you enjoy!

Despite the fact that Janus had no idea how he would take care of another child when he and Remus had barely cared for themselves, he thought that perhaps it would be better for the kid this way. That thought by itself went to show how bad he thought the adults at the orphanage did their jobs, but it was true. Like, besides what Virgil had told them, Janus had noticed how thin the kid was, even underneath the baggy clothes. Not to mention, the greasy hair and dirty hands. Like, seriously, what were they doing at the orphanage? Lastly, the fact that they were able to get out of the village with the kid in tow and nobody cared made Janus vow to himself that he would show the kid more care than these irresponsible adults had. 

It was a good thing he did because Spirit knows the kid needed it. Virgil seemed to constantly need to be reassured that he wasn’t being a burden and that they did want him here, no ulterior motive, promise. The first few days Virgil travelled with them, he would stay quiet and out of their way with practiced ease. He would get restless every once in a while, wringing his hands and fingers, or pulling at the long sleeves of his shirt as he glanced nervously at Janus or Remus. This happened especially when the group fell silent as they walked on the road. Janus realized that Virgil didn’t like the silence, so when Janus noticed the silence was stretching out too long he would tell Remus to tell them some story of which the ex-prince seemed to have in abundance. That would also work at night when Virgil had trouble sleeping by the little fire they would build in the forest beside the road. Sometimes, if Remus was sleeping already Janus would tell Virgil a story of his own, or just some simple words of support. By the end of the week, Virgil was a lot more comfortable around both of them, although he would still get fidgety from time to time. 

Virgil opened up to them a lot more after that and they discovered a sassy kid that was pretty smart considering his age and rearing. He and Remus became quick friends and partners in crime. They would constantly play pranks on the people of the villages they stayed at, as well as on Janus. Janus was like their guinea pig for pranks, and poor Janus had to deal with their antics because he was the only one around to give them amusement. Their latest antic had Janus running down the road between caravans and other travelers as he tried to find Remus and Virgil. He was so panicked, winded, and stressed after running for minutes when he finally spotted the two boys admiring some red cloth a merchant lady was selling. 

“Okay, alright. I’m here”, Janus gasped as he stopped next to Virgil and Remus.

“Janus!”, Remus screamed, with a wide grin on his face. 

“Yay, Janus!”, Virgil echoed, jumping up and down with joy.

“Janus!”, Remus screamed again, both boys jumping on him to hug their tired snake bro.

“Well, you both just ran off!”, Janus screamed at both of them, pushing them away from him angrily, but there was no real heat in it. It was more of an annoyed exasperation. Virgil and Remus began to crack up, hanging on to each other to keep from rolling on the ground with laughter in reaction to Janus’ rage. 

“Stop!”, Janus yelled at them again, but this time he couldn’t help the smile that creeped in. Remus and Virgil kept laughing, so Janus just let himself drop to the ground and shake his head tiredly. At least the merchant lady had been amused by the whole situation and had been willing to give them some money, as well as a short lecture for Remus and Virgil about treating their older brother nicely while said brother lay on his back next to all of them. 

Of course, not all their days could be fun and carefree such as this one was. The streets aren't like that. But days like this certainly helped the kids see that the whole world wasn't dark and gloomy, and the hardships of the days that were only served to bring the three boys closer together and brothers. 

Soon, all three were playing their part, each having different ways of getting their little group what they needed. Janus was the obvious ‘mother’ of the group. He was older, more responsible, and always seemed to know how to help Remus or Virgil when they were feeling down. (That skill was developed thanks to him learning to deal with his own issues since he knew the younger boys depended on him, but that was neither here nor there.) He also developed a silver tongue that helped them get out of most problems caused by Remus’ reckless behavior. Not only that, it also helped the trio buy or banter for things they needed at the price they wanted or could afford, which normally wasn’t very high. Then there was Remus who was the one who kept morale up with his seemingly never-ending jokes, stories, funny comments, or just interesting facts and topics of conversation. He was also the one that first started to steal and convinced Virgil to do it too. It happened while they had again lost Janus in a small town and then both had come across a closed shop. Virgil had gazed longingly at a black hoodie inside and Remus had spotted it, so right then and there Remus had decided to teach Virgil some life lessons, since this would be their life now. 

“Remember, the key to being a good thief is nice and stealthy,” Remus had told Virgil as the younger kid watched wide eyed. Remus had then proceeded to grab a rock from the ground and throw it at the glass window. “Like a mouse,” the older boy had added with a grin as the glass shattered. Virgil could only stare in shock and awe. “In we go,” Remus had said before going inside the store and grabbing the hoodie Virgil had wanted while the younger kid explored the other items in the store. Janus had found them later surrounded by a mob of angry adults and was able to scare the adults by showing his Naga side, which was another trick he’d learned, long enough for the three to get out of there with armfuls of things. Of course, they’d had to leave the place immediately after, but their new treasure was totally worth it. Virgil was certainly very thrilled with his new hoodie, although it was too large. 

That event taught them all that Remus felt no regret or remorse about stealing. It also helped them all realize that they needed to do things like that to survive, so having Remus’ reckless courage by their side helped. Especially Virgil, since he was given the task of doing most of the stealing after that. Remus just couldn’t follow his own words, but Virgil could. So with Remus’ words of encouragement and Janus’ support, Virgil was able to get over his anxiety enough to become a successful thief, although afterwards he would be prone to shaking hands as dread and nervousness caught up to him. 

Other things they would do was have Virgil ask people for money for his ‘injured’ older brother with his cute child face and puppy eyes, or Remus would create huge dramatic scenes were his poor brother (again Janus) had suffered an accident and was bleeding from his head and so people would leave their houses vulnerable to Virgil’s little hands. One time, Remus actually caused a building to catch fire as a distraction. Janus was so mad and stressed after that, but he had to admit, the distraction worked miracles! At least for them.

Another method that Remus enjoyed very much was to put on shows on the streets to attract crowds of people, and then steal from them. The shows were always done by Remus. He grew a knack for knowing just what to do to keep people interested. Then Virgil would begin to weave his way between the crowd, ‘accidentally’ bumping into people to slip his hand into a bag and pull out silver coins, or just cutting the straps of money bags as he walked by. Meanwhile, Janus worked further away, creating seamless advertisement about what was happening further down the road so more people would join. 

All in all, over the next few years, Janus, Remus, and Virgil became a pretty resourceful set of kids. They even learned how to fight, having had to get out of trouble with other older street kids or angry adults several times. But with Virgil’s innocent face, Remus’ either crazed or angry expressions (which concerned Janus as they got more and more intense as the years went by), and Janus’ piercing, calculated expression helped them get out of most troubles. So at least things weren’t as bad as they could have been. Unfortunately, humans don’t stay as children forever. Four years later, the trio started to see the decrease in success of their ploys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yah. That is that I guess. I really hope you guys enjoyed it.  
> Sorry for the lack of dialogue, or if it was kind of boring, but this is necessary, I promise. (Did you spot some references though?)  
> Next chapter should be better.  
>   
> Speaking of next chapter, I will be posting that one two weeks from now. Why? Well, I'm starting some summer programs so things might get kind of busy. Therefore, from now until further notice I will be posting chapters every two weeks, still on Fridays.  
>   
> So, yeah....  
>   
> ANyways, thank you again guys for your kudos and comments! ^-^  
> Stay safe wherever you are and take care! Protect each other and love each other!  
> Bye!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! it's been a while.   
> WARNINGS: kind of mentions of self-harm...? and then other typical stuff that these kids have to deal with. 
> 
> Also, I changed something in the last chapter. It's something small. Just changed the number of years that passed. It's five instead of four now. 
> 
> Well, I think that's all I have to say. Enjoy the chapter!

Janus watched Virgil’s downcast expression and the excessive tugging of the hoodie strings that miraculously still fit Virgil even after five years. It brought concern to Janus’ mind because the kid should have grown more than that in five years. At least he was still only twelve, so there was still hope and time. But that wasn’t his major concern right now. Lately, Virgil had been downcast and anxious, a lot more than usual. The boy had never quite stopped being anxious, although he had gotten better. But ever since a failed robbery last year, Janus had noticed the change, and it had only gotten worse since Virgil’s twelfth birthday a few months ago. Janus had no idea what was causing the boy such grief and he felt terrible about it. He hoped that with the warmer weather this year, Virgil would begin to feel better. 

Remus watched between his two brothers’ troubled expressions and frowned himself. This couldn’t stand. Frowns should not belong on their faces. 

“Hey Virgil, look over there. I think something funny is about to happen,” Remus told the younger boy, nodding with his head to indicate what he was seeing. Virgil looked up just in time to see an old man slip and fall. 

“Heh. What an idiot,” Virgil said, a small smile appearing on his face. Remus answered with his own laugh. 

“Right! Like, come on man! You’ve lived for how long now and you still can’t manage your legs properly!”

Janus smiled as he watched the two younger boys laugh and look around to poke fun at more things, but he also shook his head at their inappropriate humor. He wasn’t surprised by their twisted sense of humor, especially since Remus had been like that from the start anyway, but that didn’t mean he didn’t find it kind of disappointing. Well, at least it helped distract Virgil, and Remus too, from their situation if only for a few moments at a time. 

Anyway, as they reached another town, Janus was forced to think again about what they would do in this town. It was becoming harder to steal, since they weren’t quite so small anymore. Janus was 18 already, and Remus would be 15 in about three months. Virgil could still go around unnoticed, but that would become harder too. Hopefully, now that Janus could be considered an adult, he could find a way to receive a more stable income. 

The brothers wandered around the town, Remus dragging Virgil around excitedly like always, while Janus tried to look for posters that announced some job offer. He was relieved when he saw one outside a small cafe. 

“Hey, um, why don’t we stay at an hotel this time?”, Janus told his brothers when they ran back to his side. 

“Do we have enough money?” Virgl asked worriedly.

“Yeah. And I think I can get a good job here too. Don’t you worry about that Virgil,” Janus assured the kid with a smile. 

“But, we could save money just camping out in an alley or something,” Remus pointed out. “It’s not cold or rainy much anymore.”

“No, I think we deserve to stay at a nice place for a while longer. We’ll have the rest of summer to camp out,” Janus said firmly. “Here, I saw a small hotel a little back. Get a room and settle down while I check out this job,” he told Remus handing him their small bag of money. Remus nodded and took Virgil with him back down the road. A flash of worry passed over Virgil’s face. 

Janus walked over to the cafe and after a few minutes he was walking back out with a new job secured. When he told this to his brothers back at the hotel room, they were both happy and Virgil seemed perfectly relaxed for the first time in months.   
The next day Janus went off to his new job. He wasn’t allowed to keep on his bandages unless they were clean, so Janus took off the one on his arm and changed only the ones covering his face scales. It was a good thing the uniform included a long-sleeved jacket and gloves. He didn’t want anyone catching a glimpse of his scales and shattering their welcome in this town. He’d already told Remus and Virgil not to try stealing or causing any other trouble to make sure they could take advantage of this job for as long as they could. 

The first two weeks went great for Janus, and Remus and Virgil were not having a bad time either. Plenty of people came into the small, and only, cafe in town and left decent tips, amazed by Janus’ respectful demeanor. And since there was only one other waiter in the cafe, that meant Janus would receive more money on his payday each week. Meanwhile, Remus and Virgil had more time for studies and they were also able to find small jobs to do around town. Then, entering the third week, trouble struck.   
It happened while Janus was working. He’d noticed this particular guy that had started coming into the cafe every single day always at the same time and would stay for about an hour just watching since last week. Fortunately, Janus hadn’t had to serve that guy since the other waiter would always do it before him, so Janus didn’t pay much attention. But today, the other waiter was tending to another table, so it was up to Janus to handle this guy. 

“Good morning, sir. What would you like to order?”, he asked the mysterious guy. 

“A cup of black coffee and some buttered toast,” the man said gruffly, still only facing his menu, but Janus could see the man’s eyes were carefully watching Janus’ left arm. Janus pretended not to notice as he wrote down the man’s order and excused himself, but that was when the man grabbed Janus by the sleeve and pulled him down. Janus sat tensely next to the man, unsure of what to do, and he tried to pull away, but the man only gripped his arm harder. 

“Stay still, or I expose what you are to everyone now,” the man warned quietly, pulling at Janus’ sleeve threateningly. Janus froze again. The man lowered Janus’ left sleeve slightly, quick eyes catching sight of yellow-green scales. 

“So I was right. You are a Naga,” the man muttered, more to himself than to Janus as he pulled the sleeve back up. “Get my order and come back. I want to speak to you for a minute. If you try to run, we’ll target one of those cute little brothers you have. We can reach them faster than you can from here,” the man said, then released his hold on Janus. Janus sprang up and quickly walked away from the man, trying to calm his shaking hands as he reached the counter to prepare the new order. 

What did this man want with him? How had he known he was possibly Naga? And how had he found out about Remus and Virgil? He hadn’t noticed anyone around their hotel. One thing was certain, however. He needed to keep his siblings safe. 

“Here is your order, sir,” Janus forced himself to say as he placed the coffee and plate with toast before the man as steadily as he could. 

“Good, thank you. Now sit down and you better be good at acting normally. Any funny business and you will never see your brothers again,” the man threatened, before taking a sip of coffee. Janus nodded and sat down stiffly. 

“Now, I’m sure you know how rare your species is. Even finding only a part-Naga is hard. You probably also know how much everyone hates your kind and I’m sure that must make it hard to get by. And seeing how you’re taking care of two other kids, well, it’s a miracle you are all still alive. So, how great would it be if I told you I can offer you a lot of money for just a few small favors?”, the man said.

“What type of favors?”, Janus asked cautiously. Yes, he had met some people like him before and he never liked when they used that particular word. 

“Nothing too drastic. I would just like to obtain samples of your scales,” the man said. 

“My scales?”

“Yes. The fresher, the better.” The man took another sip of coffee.

“I can’t just give you my scales. That’s not how it works,” Janus argued. 

“I’m sure you can find a way. After all, your youngest brother looks like he could use new clothes.” With that, the man set down the coffee, took the toast and proceeded to walk out of the shop, leaving Janus shaking with anger and fear in his chair. 

The next day, Janus walked up to the man who sat at his place in the cafe again. 

“How much would you pay?”

For the next three weeks, Janus continued to work at his job, but now he had an added pain to carry. Every other day, Janus would tend to this man and leave a small bag with whatever the man ordered. The man in return would leave a small envelope with the money to pay for his order. Back at home, Virgil and Remus began to notice the increase in bandages about a week in. They also noticed that Janus wouldn’t take off the bandages on his arms, and even chest and legs now, at home. When they asked, Janus just waved them off saying that it was too much work to take them off and put them on. And if they ever found bloodied bandages and asked about those, Janus would tell them he’d hurt himself at work, or walking back, but it wasn’t too bad. Then Janus brought in a bunch of money one day and treated them to a grand meal at a nice restaurant. When asked about the sudden money, Janus said it was normal. 

Remus and Virgil had no idea how to react to the sudden changes those three weeks. They were glad for the money, but the changes in their brother brought worry. They discovered what was happening when Janus suddenly fell in their hotel room while getting ready for work. 

“I’m fine, Remus. Really! I just got dizzy for a minute,” Janus assured his brother as said sibling helped Janus sit on one of their beds. 

“You’re not okay, J. You’re bleeding, for crying out loud! That is far from okay,” Remus snapped. He opened the drawer next to the bed and pulled out some bandages, then told Virgil to get some water, towels, and their medical things quickly. The younger kid broke from his wide-eyed frozen state and moved to do as his brother asked. 

“Remus, really, I can fix myself up! You don’t have to do that. I’m not a kid,” Janus said, trying to appear calm as Remus began to take off the bandages in his arms. But nothing could stop Remus now from seeing what was ailing his brother. When he did, Janus could practically see the cold, twisted anger that erupted inside him. 

“Remus, please. Don’t do anything stupid. It’s not as bad as it looks, a-and we get so much money! I can keep doing this! It’s fine-”

“Janus? W-why…? Why are your scales gone? Why is your skin gone?! Janus?!”

Janus’ head snapped around to see Virgil shaking where he stood a few steps away, arms filled with things. His eyes were glued to what Remus had uncovered. 

“Virgil, I need you to help Janus. He scraped himself really bad and he also has a slight fever. You remember how to treat that, right? You remember how we did it?”, Remus asked the younger kid, moving to stand in front of him and take his head in his hands so the younger kid focused on his face. Virgil nodded and Remus smiled. 

“Good. So help Janus and then pack up our things. I think it’s time we continued our adventure. I’ll go out and get some more things for the trip,” Remus told Virgil steadily before letting go of the kid and walking out the door. 

“Virgil, it’s okay. I can help myself. You don’t have to see thi-”

“No, I’ll help you. It’s the least I can do,” Virgil said firmly, interrupting Janus and moving closer so he could continue to unravel the bandages. Janus sighed in defeat and let himself be laid down properly on the bed. 

“These aren’t ‘scrapes’ are they?”, Virgil asked quietly after a moment. Janus glanced at Virgil, but said nothing. 

“You were probably…” A sniffle cut off Virgil’s words and Janus looked at Virgil again in shock. 

“Woah, Virgil! It’s okay! I’m okay! It’s not-”

“It’s my fault! This is all my fault! I bring bad luck to everyone! It’s my fault bad things happen! It’s my fault you both struggle to survive! If you didn’t have me you would both be fine! This is why everyone left me! You should have left me too! I should have died instead!”

“Stop! Don’t say that again, Virgil, you hear me?!”, Janus exclaimed angrily, grabbing Virgil’s shoulders and bringing them face to face. Then he pulled the younger boy to him, engulfing him in a tight hug. VIrgil cried into Janus' chest, gripping the older male’s body as if his life depended on it. 

“I’m so useless now! I-i’m getting t-too old to be un-unnoticeable a-and that’s why you had to do this! Because I couldn’t bring money to the table!” Virgil cried into Janus’ chest as Janus tried desperately to calm the boy down. 

“That’s not true, Virgil. You’re not useless. It shouldn’t even have to be part of your worries to be concerned about ‘bringing money’. You’re a kid! And what I did was my own choice. I did this because I love you guys and I am willing to do anything and give up everything if it means you and Remus can have something better,” Janus told Virgil, still rubbing the kid’s back.

“I’m sorry, Janus!”

“You have nothing to be sorry about. If anything, it should be me apologizing. I should have known this would not just affect me, but both of you as well.” Virgil’s cries began to subside until they were only muffled sniffles and a trembling body in his older brother’s arms.

“Don’t leave me behind…”, Virgil whispered. 

“Never, Virgil. Remus and I dragged you along with us because we wanted you. It’s our fault you’re in this mess and we would never leave you behind,” Janus said fervently. Virgil nodded, then pushed himself off Janus. 

“I’m sorry. I was supposed to be helping you,” Virgil said, wiping his face. 

“It’s alright, I can do it. Why don’t you pack our things up instead. I agree with Remus. We should get out of here,” Janus told Virgil, propping himself up again and turning his attention to his arm. 

“But, your job!”

“It’s fine. We can find better jobs at other places. This one has too many bad memories already,” Janus assured. 

Virgil still looked unsure and his hands kept tugging, but he began to pack up what things they would need most. Janus watched with concern as Virgil packed before turning to his own task. It seemed like he had just discovered why Virgil had been so anxious lately, but he wasn’t sure how he would fix that situation. It was true that the older Virgil got, the harder it would be for him to do what he usually did. There wouldn’t be a sure way to make Virgil feel like what he did was enough. Damn, why did this world have to be so messed up. 

As if to add to this thought, Remus arrived shortly after with a black bag filled with money, jewels, and even some clothes. Remus didn’t say where he had gotten the stuff, but Janus had a sinking feeling he knew exactly what had happened. 

The brothers were able to pay some guy with a wagon to take them to the next town where they stayed for two days while Janus recovered from his fever before they had to move on. Remus’ actions would make it harder for them to find a safe place anywhere because of the danger that would now lay in the shadows. 

Sure enough, in almost every town they stopped at they were forced to move out a few days later because ‘they brought trouble’. So, as soon as Janus was better, he began to take as many jobs as he could to earn money in those few days. Of course, Remus would make sure whatever job Janus was working wasn’t shady and self-harming like the last one. Virgil and Remus were not going to be forgetting that any time soon. 

They were fine for about a month, using the money Remus had brought when they left the town with the cafe job as well as the little money Janus earned from small jobs afterward. However, money doesn’t last forever and soon what little Janus earned and what Remus and Virgil could still collect and steal was not enough again. Janus tried to eat less so his siblings could eat more, but Virgil and Remus were quick to catch on this time and didn’t let him. 

After another month, Remus is just so done with the world and everyone in it. This isn’t fair, dammit! His 15th birthday had been about a week ago and instead of being able to celebrate it like a normal teen, he had to help his brothers pack up and run out of town because someone had accused Virgil of being a thief and made a whole scene despite the fact Virgil had actually had money for the small gift he’d wanted to get. Then Remus had spent the rest of the afternoon in the woods, reassuring Virgil that this wasn’t his fault people were just stupid while Janus built camp. To make matter worse, immediately after in the next town they reached, Remus had to fight off some jackass who tried to molest Virgil, as if the kid didn’t have enough to deal with, and then in the next town, Janus was almost burned at the stake because someone saw his scales while said young man was trying to buy some food. Remus just couldn’t take it anymore. For years he had watched, and run, and experienced so many cruelties and unfairness and so much anger had accumulated because he hadn’t wanted to become the monster his parents had thought was inside. But it seemed like now it didn’t matter. Even if he didn’t act on his terrifying thoughts, people still treated him like garbage, so fine. He would just give them what they wanted, right? 

So Janus couldn’t help but watch as Remus went down a new path of twisted anger: getting more violent in fights, disappearing for nights only to appear with the news that he’d found an ‘abandoned’ place to stay at, and gazing off into the distance with that raging hatred that seemed to grow in his eyes everyday. Janus couldn’t help but watch as Virgil sunk deeper and deeper into his own self-hatred and depression, eating less and less everyday until Janus doesn’t even know how the boy keeps moving. Janus knows that the awful circumstances they deal with everyday are starting to break the kids. They are beginning to twist them into the mindless, instinctual people Janus has often seen laying in the streets, who seem more like animals than humans anymore. And this brings Janus so much despair, but he can’t do anything. He can’t even offer a believable lie of hope because they know it’s not true. 

As if it wasn’t enough that Janus had to watch his siblings’ spirits break, Virgil got deathly sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp.......yeah. That's what you all waited for for two weeks. I really hope you all enjoyed.   
> Sorry I put these children through so much. Well, not much children anymore since Janus is 18 now.   
> And, finally, next chapter will bring the decision Janus makes! I should probably make a better summary...
> 
> (Also, I might edit this chapter a bit more later, so yah)
> 
> Anyway, thank you all for your kudos and comments! They make me feel so happy!  
> I hope everyone is taking care and keep staying safe wherever you are! Protect and love each other!  
> Bye!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soo, sick Virgil, mentions of Remus commiting murder, plans, some bad words and then the beginnings of the deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh! I am soooo sorry, you guys! I really thought this chapter would be out on time but then it wasn't and I am so lucky I was able to post this today because my laptop is about to die!
> 
> Anyways, as I mentioned above, there is mention of Remus commiting murder, then some bad words at the end, and I think that's it. 
> 
> I hope this makes up for the wait! :)

“Virgil? Virgil, wake up. I have some tea.” Janus shook the younger boy gently but firmly. The pale, clammy boy opened tired, glazed eyes. “That’s it Virgil. Just wake up. Here, I’ll help you up.” Janus helped his younger brother sit up slowly, pressing some more rags and bags behind the boy’s back to keep him propped up. Then he fixed the raggedy blankets on top of him before reaching down to grab the small chipped cup with warm brownish liquid in it. Janus helped Virgil hold the cup and raise it gently to his lips where he held it for a few seconds as Virgil painfully swallowed some of the tea. 

“It’s bitter,” Virgil whispered hoarsely, before he was overcome by a coughing fit. Janus quickly grabbed another bottle by Virgil’s sleeping place and gave Virgil a drink from that too when the coughs quieted down. 

“Don’t speak, Virgil. I know it’s bitter, but it’ll make you feel better,” Janus told him as Virgil drank from the bottle. Virgil made a more disgusted face from that. 

“Where’s Remus?” Virgil asked. 

“He’s around. Now go back to sleep. If you want he can be here when you wake up again,” Janus told him. Virgil nodded, but an all too familiar look of guilt and anxiety disturbed his sickly face. However Virgil didn’t fuss as Janus helped him lay back down, so Janus counted that as a victory and gave Virgil a gentle smile.  
Virgil mustered up a smile before a grimace disfigured it. He covered it quickly, however, before giving a sigh and falling asleep almost immediately after. That sent a shaft of pain through Janus’ heart, how Virgil always tried to not be a ‘burden’, as well as the fact that he’d found sleep so quickly. He’d used to complain about resting in the first few weeks so Janus’ had to sing him to sleep. At least he could still find painless sleep. 

Janus sat by Virgil’s side for a few more minutes, just watching the thin, pale face that looked so much younger while asleep without the lines of pain and worry creasing the waxy skin. He raised a hand and brushed it through Virgil’s dirty, matted hair that was stuck to a sweaty forehead. Ironically, Janus could sense the tremors that ran through Virgil’s body at certain intervals. 

Janus was so close to giving in to despair. A month ago he’d thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse. Watching his youngest brother carry so much self-hatred and guilt while knowing the other was committing murder, well, that should set the bar for worst things that could happen in his life. But apparently, that was just a warm-up. Maybe if Virgil had gotten sick in warmer weather they would have had a chance to fight his sickness back, but no, it had to happen in the cold winds of October. With even colder weather sure to come in about only a month, Janus really had no clue what to do anymore. 

“Janus, I’m back. I got some more money and there’s a ton more in the place I, uh, found,” Remus’ voice announced quietly as said teen walked into the small tent where Virgil had been placed. 

“Remus, you can’t keep...finding...places like this. We can’t be forced to keep moving with Virgil like this. He needs to be able to stay still and rest!” Janus hissed tiredly but with annoyance clear in his lowered voice. 

“Well, he isn’t going to get much better resting in a flimsy tent in a forest. Didn’t you notice how much colder it’s gotten in the mornings and evenings. Don’t even get me started about the night. And the dew this morning was frozen. Frozen, Janus! One of these days we’re going to wake up and find Virgil just like-”

“Stop.”

“Sorry,” Remus sighed. “But you know I’m right. I just want a better place for him even if it’s only for a few days. Then we can worry about the move, but I just want to do something for him. I want to help. Please Janus,” Remus begged, kneeling down next to Janus who still sat next to Virgil. Janus looked down at Virgil’s still body and sighed. 

“Fine, Remus. You already did your thing anyway,” Janus conceded. Remus smiled. “But next time, I’ll help you pick the place. If you’re going to keep doing this then we have to do it smart. That way we can use the place for a longer time,” Janus said. 

Remus nodded. “Yeah, sure. Do we go now?” 

“No,” Janus said, brushing a hand through Virgil’s hair again. “Let him sleep some more.”

Remus nodded and moved around Janus to sit closer to Virgil’s head. Then he flipped out his favored blade and took out a small black bag with a drawstring from which he pulled out a short, pearly white bone. Another soon-to-be carving for Virgil.

“Why don’t you sleep too, Janus? I can keep watch,” Remus told Janus without looking up from his thoughtful stare at the bone. 

“I think you should be the one sleeping,” Janus commented, watching Remus cautiously. 

“Nah. I won’t be able to sleep for at least two nights, remember? It’s fine, Janus. I’m fine. It’s everyone else who's messed up.” The last bit was muttered hatefully and left the 15-year old teen glaring down at the items in his hand. Then that hate was gone and Remus looked up to Janus to reassure the older young man. 

“I’m alright, Janus. You sleep. You’ve been taking care of Virgil since I left.”

“Alright,” Janus finally conceded. “Wake me up in a couple hours.”

“Yup.”

What felt like only a few seconds later, but was actually almost two hours later, Janus was shaken back to wakefulness by Remus who then motioned to Virgil. The boy had woken up again, but that gave them an opportunity to move him to the now available house. 

It was dark outside, the sun having set an hour ago, around 8, so at least they had the night for cover as Remus led them into town and down the deserted streets that led into the nicer parts of the town. Remus stopped by one of the largest houses the furthest away from the common place of the town. 

“Of course you had to go for the richest and probably most well-known person in town”, Janus hissed when he noticed where they had stopped. He was panting and out of breath from having carried both Virgil and half of their belongings, but that didn’t stop him from showing his annoyance of Remus’ unsurprising reckless actions. 

“I may not use mine for other than stealing, stabbing, and...never mind...but I do have a brain Janus!”, Remus finished indignantly as he opened the door with the key he’d taken from his earlier visit. “So, don’t worry. The guy was scheduled to go on some business meeting for a week or more, so people shouldn’t be suspicious of his absence.”

Huh. “Well, good job thinking ahead this time, Remus,” Janus said, honestly surprised. 

“Heh, yeah. Oh, but do be careful near the back window of the kitchen. There might still be glass on the floor. Forgot to clean that up.”

And, moment of brilliance gone, but whatever. 

Both went inside, Remus still leading them all the way into the living room. Janus left a half-faint Virgil on one of the huge couches there, entrusting him to Remus’ care. Then he found his way into the kitchen where he began making a light dinner with the abundance of food in there. It would be a shame if it went to waste, after all, and dead men don’t eat. A few minutes later, Janus joined his sibling in the living room with three bowls of warm soup and a plate of buttered toast. Virgil was, surprisingly, still awake and managed to eat by himself, so the three brothers were able to enjoy some quality time together, talking and laughing in the safety and warmth of their new place. Of course, nobody mentioned what happened in order for them to be here, but it wasn’t something that could be casually mentioned anyway. Even if it was, it wouldn’t change anything. They were all brothers and would support each other through anything, even if they were not completely approved of, but neither was most of what happened on the streets.

All that aside, the acquisition of the more comfortable house proved to be worth it since a change for the better was seen in Virgil’s condition about three days later. Of course, that also meant a more stubborn Virgil who just could not seem to comprehend that just because he was ‘feeling’ better did not mean he actually was. Janus or Remus would always find Virgil trying to cook, or clean, or organize something despite the fact he could barely stand. They knew he felt like a burden, of course they did. Virgil had always been self-conscious about everything he did and didn’t do and being sick wasn’t helping. But he needed to understand that whatever extra work Janus or Remus were doing wasn’t _because of Virgil_ but because they were worried _for_ him and trying to do whatever they could to help him, and he just needed to accept that and focus on getting stronger for them. He hadn’t chosen to be sick and it would get better, but only if he stopped trying to overwork himself and focused on getting stronger again. 

Their argument worked, for the most part, since Virgil begrudgingly lay in bed for most of the day letting one or the other take care of him while the other was out doing some job. However, he still insisted on, at least, cooking for the other two to make himself feel better, at least. Janus and Remus allowed that since they knew despite whatever they said they would never be able to fully clear away any doubts from Virgil’s thoughts. 

They stayed at the house for a full two weeks before having to move to escape people’s suspicion. While Virgil had gotten a lot better in those two weeks, he hadn’t fully recovered and the stress and anxiety over moving away again and what they would do next in this cold weather, so it wasn’t too shocking when his illness took a turn for the worse again by the time they reach the next town. 

“I told you I’m fine. I was practically better when we left. I can handle a few shivers and pains.”

“So you are in pain!”

“I can handle it! It’s not too bad…”

“You are literally shaking so much you can barely stand straight despite the fact you are bundled in extra jackets and scarves. So either you’re cold or in pain and both prove you’re not okay!”

“Fine! So maybe I’m not doing too great, but I can handle it out here. I don’t need you and Remus murdering someone else just because of me,” Virgil hissed angrily at Janus. 

“No, you can’t handle it! Snow is coming in less than two days and seeing how you can barely handle the weather now, you will not… The snow will make things even colder. You need a warm place,” Janus argued. 

“Virgil, it’ll be fine. I’ve done this several times already. I’m practically a pro! I’ll be back with new carving materials ready for you before you know it!", Remus tried to reassure.

"I don't care about your stupid carvings!", Virgil snapped before breathing in sharply at what he'd just said.

"I'm sorry, Remus," Virgil apologized softly to the older teen. "I just- what if you don't come back? So, many things could go wrong. What if you can’t get away in time? What if someone catches you trying to get in? Or what if the person you're trying to kill is too strong? Or he has visitors over? And then you get caught and nobody cares except us but that's not enough because the people have money and then they want to kill you and we can't do anything because we're too weak and-"

"Hey, woah, calm down," Remus interrupted gently, helping Virgil to the ground to give the distressed boy some more stability. "It's not going to be like that, okay? There's a plan which Janus helped make and you know how smart and cautious Janus is! He'll be with me this time and, like I said, I've done this plenty of times before!" Remus continued, trying to sound convincing. 

"That doesn't make it any better! You could be recognized and then that'd be an instant execution. And there are so many things that could go wrong with Janus! Remember? Half-Naga?", Virgil hissed the last part quietly. 

"Virgil, worrying of what might happen will do us no good if we never even try. And we're not new to this. We know how to survive. And right now that means doing things Remus' way to help you, and we'll do this because we want to. You shouldn't worry so much about us, that's our job, alright? You just focus on taking care of yourself and that will be more than enough for us. Then when you're all better you can worry on how to help us if you want. But for now, let us do this for you", Janus said, now kneeling down next to Virgil with his hands wrapped around the younger teen's own. 

"Fine," Virgil conceded after moments of glaring down at his held hands. "But you both better come back. I'm taking that as a promise."

"Of course."

"Yeah! We would never break a promise."

With Virgil visibly calmer, they settled him in an ignored alley with all of their things and covered them all with a blanket to not draw too much attention if someone did look over here. Then Remus and Janus headed their own way down the street. 

The plan consisted of Janus delivering some message to their target, the owner of the house, about some dire emergency during the party that would be going on tonight. With Janus’ way with words and middle-class, slightly dirty, clothes to make him pass as some messenger, it would only take some form of proof for anyone to run out in heed of his message. Janus had made sure to have something like that ready. By walking in the market square and helping some of the servants in the gardens of the grand home he’d been able to gather exactly what would make the man run and through some casual questions here and there around town he’d been able to find out what would serve as proof. 

The second part of the plan would be after the man was on the road. Remus would stop the chariot somewhere along the road out of sight of the road and that’s where the murder would take place. Fortunately the man had no wife and kids so nobody would miss him at the house except for the servants and they could be easily removed. At the place where the man was supposed to be going no one would miss him either for nothing ever happened there. 

Meanwhile, back at the house, the party would most likely keep going since the man was quite prideful and egotistical and would want to maintain his image with those he had invited. So once the man was gone, Janus would most likely be ignored by everyone else in favor of the wine and finger foods. During that time, Janus would take a moment to take some makeup from the house to cover up his scales, change into servant clothes and help around the house. Having heard his voice helping them the days prior they would think he had been hired to work around or something, not too suspicious because he was a familiar face now. During a high-point of the party, Janus would slip away for a few minutes to sneak Virgil inside and hide him in some isolated room. He would also take that moment to take the seal of the man of the house which would play part in getting rid of the servants. 

Anyway, the party people would leave on their own the next morning, probably unhappy that the host was not there to wish them farewell, and then the servants would clean up the house. During the cleanup chores, Janus would slip away yet again under the guise of some chore to give Remus, who by that time should be in town again, the messenger clothes he had used the day before as well as the message for the servants Janus had written up with the man’s seal sometime during the night. Janus would return to the house, Remus would arrive sometime later with the message, and the servants would start to leave because the master would be gone for sometime and no pay would be given to the servants. Since the man wasn’t exactly kind or generous, none of them would feel willing to stay behind. With the house abandoned until further notice, Janus, Remus, and Virgil would be able to live there, albeit secretly, until suspicions began to arise, but that would take time. 

The plan was somewhat simple in theory, but in practice many things still hung on chance and timing. Fortunately luck, for once, seemed to be on their side and two days later the three brothers were enjoying a large, comfortable home for themselves.

Of course, as the brothers had learned in their lives, for all good things something had to be paid. And as a week passed it became apparent who would pay for this small good. 

“Remus, we have to do something! Virgil needs a good doctor and that means we need a lot of money! You know how the people in the Black Market would pay for-”

“No! You are not cutting off your scales again just for some money!”

“That money isn’t just some! It could be enough to save Virgil!”

“Well, I could get the same amount of money if you would just let me.”

“I already told you, we are not going to rob or commit more murders here or in nearby towns.”

“Why not?! These bastards would certainly deserve whatever comes for them if they’re willing to let some kid die in their neighborhood or accept _literal scraps of skin_ cut off from a _living body_ just to have some _rarity_!”

“The town doesn’t know we’re here which is the only reason we still are, remember? And the town has nothing to do with the Black Market,” Janus sighed in exasperation, but he could understand Remus’ anger and desperation. He felt it too. While they were doing everything they could to get Virgil local medicine and other herbal and home remedies, nothing seemed to be stopping Virgil’s sickness this time. The young teen now lay still and unconscious on his bed most of the time no matter how much he tried to fight through his pain and fevers to show some strength. 

“I won’t let you hurt yourself! I would rather kill those sick motherf*****s and rid the world of some useless sh*t! Oooh. That’s actually not a bad-”

“Yes it is, Remus. You tried that some months ago and we were chased from town to town after that. I don’t need to tell you why we can’t do that now,” Janus told the wayward teen. 

“Fine! But we’ll need to do something soon and maybe you’ll stop shooting down my ideas when you see Virgil struggling to breathe!” And with that, Remus stomped up the stairs and to the room he was sleeping in. The slam of the door echoed through the house. 

Janus sighed and turned back to the back door, determined to go out and at least take a walk since the original purpose of his trip out had just been rejected. Despite being the older sibling here, Janus would let himself be influenced by his younger brother’s, knowing it was important to them to be able to have a say in decisions. And Janus respected and loved them too much to ignore them. Even if that meant giving up much needed money for a few more day, at least. After that, Janus would make a final decision, other opinions be damned. 

He walked around the town aimlessly, stopping at a bakery to buy some chocolate for Virgil. While it wasn’t healthy, it would at least help raise Virgil’s spirits a little. That was if he was awake. 

About an hour later, Janus decided it was time to head back. He began his walk down the back alleys and around houses to lose the attention of any who might be watching him. Soon enough, his invisible road led him down the path that would leave him in the back gardens of the large house they were living in. He suddenly snapped around, dagger in hand, aiming for what would be right under a person’s throat. The person behind him froze in place. With a quick glance over, Janus gauged the man was no local townsman, but it didn’t look like he was a tourist either, if the heavy black cloak covering the man from head to toe was any indication. 

“Who are you? What do you want?”, Janus snapped, keeping the dagger firmly in place under the man’s throat. 

“Nothing more than to offer a fair deal. I believe it would be most….welcome to you and those with you. It could save more than just the immediate life of the youngest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah..... we only got the beginning of the deal, despite what I said last chapter. Sorry about that.  
> But next chapter for sure!
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for reading! I'm so happy this story has done as well as it has. Fills me with some much joy! Thank you for your kudos and comments. 
> 
> Take care everyone and stay safe! Protect and love each other! Bye~!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The deal....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I am back with the next chapter and I bring the awaited deal!  
> I don't think it'll live to expectations, soo, sorry? \\_(^-^)_/`  
> I hope you enjoy it anyway. 
> 
> Also, this is only about half of the actual chapter. Something went wrong with my laptop and the last part of this chapter got lost somewhere in my files cuz I had it written in some other place for some reason?  
> SO YEAH! I'll past the second part on Sunday. Hopefully I've found it by then. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

“What do you want?”

“Nothing more than to offer a fair deal. I believe it would be most...welcome to you and those with you. It could save more than just the immediate life of the youngest.”

Janus’ eyes narrowed further and he grabbed the man’s collar, dragging him to the side of the road where he slammed the man against the back of a building. 

“What do you know?”, he hissed angrily, adding pressure to the dagger still at the man’s throat. 

“I know enough to be a threat to you and your temporary peace, as well as the rest of your lives, which could be quite short with only a few words from me,” the man answered easily, and Janus could practically hear the man’s casual smile. 

“That’s enough for me to murder you in cold blood right here and now, but it sounds like you’re not too concerned with that. Why’s that?”, Janus asked. 

“You’re a sensible young man who's lived on the streets long enough to figure out that, even if killing me didn’t bring bad consequences, taking me out of the equation wouldn’t make your lives any better. However, what I have to offer could. So, will you listen to what I have to say in a more civilized way?” the man questioned, glancing down at the dagger at his neck pointedly. 

Janus glared at the man for a few more seconds before letting go of the man’s collar and stepping back. However, the dagger remained out and pointed at the man. “This is the most civilized I will be with you, so start talking before I recalculate how ‘civilized’ I want to be.”

“As you wish. My offer is simple: I can give you a safe home, food, clothes, money, anything you need for a better life. In return, all I need is your help getting revenge on someone I know,” the man said. 

“Revenge? How could we help with that? There are so many people much more qualified for whatever you want to do for this ‘revenge’ than a couple of street rats. You probably just want to have us take the fall, huh?” Janus retorted. 

“Of course not. The reason I have come to you is because I believe you are capable of handling the job I have for you as well as the power that will help you accomplish it. After all, common street rats would hardly stand a chance against what I want gone,” the man said, a faraway look glazing his eyes as a smile spread across his face, as if the man was already imagining some type of victory, or something. 

“This...whatever you want revenge on sounds pretty dangerous, if you’re offering ‘power’. Why should I put myself and my siblings at risk for some personal grudge?” Janus asked slowly. 

“As I said already, I will give you a better life with everything you could ever want and need. It would be a second chance to become something relevant in this world. I know your siblings would like to follow certain dreams. Don’t you have something you would like to do as well?”

The man was extremely suspicious, in Janus’ opinion. There was no way to know he actually could give them a better life and this ‘giving them power’ things was extremely questionable. Also, if the ‘power’ thing was even true (which he really, really doubted), then how strong or important was whoever this person wanted revenge on? And why did he thing they were capable of doing this ‘job’?

However, even with his doubts, Janus just didn’t feel like the guy was lying. He didn’t know what it was, but he felt _something_ deep inside assuring him it was fine, this guy was telling the truth, somewhat at least. 

“What is this power that would help with the job you mentioned?” Janus asked, because he refused to just let go of his doubts. At least, not yet. 

“I’m afraid I cannot tell you unless you accept my offer and seal the deal. I cannot have knowledge of this power on the streets.”

Ugh, more cryptic words. Janus strongly suppressed the urge to yell at the man angrily, or just straight up kill him for wasting his time as they danced around this damn offer. He needed to think for a moment. This man wanted revenge on someone. However that would be carried out, this man couldn’t do it on his own since he had approached someone else for help. Unless Janus’ original thought was right and the man just needed someone to take the fall if things went south. But then there was the thing of ‘power’. What did that even mean? Some type of weapon or more strength or something? And why couldn’t the man just use this ‘power’ himself then? Or some other stronger person? Why come to him? He obviously really wanted Janus to take this offer if he had investigated him and his siblings and was willing to blackmail them. 

There were so many holes and questions running through his brain, but for some reason none of them were able to successfully convince Janus to just kill the guy, grab his siblings, and leave this town forever. Nope, instead Janus found himself accepting this guy’s deal. 

“Alright. I’ll help you with your ‘revenge’ or whatever. So, you better carry out your side of the deal as well, and tell me about this power,” Janus said impatiently. 

“I’m afraid the deal is not only for you. Your brothers will need to agree to this as well. After all, I will be providing for them too. If they don’t agree, then they will have to leave. They cannot take advantage of the benefits without doing something in return. So, why don’t we head back to this house you’re staying at. I’m sure the two boys are worried about their older brother.” With that said, the man simply walked forward and around Janus, leaving Janus to stumble back in surprise and grumble as he reluctantly followed the man and put his dagger away. 

They arrived at the backdoor of the large house a few minutes later and the fact he heard no tapping on the glass from the second-floor windows or see Remus’ face there either meant that both boys were probably prepared to fight inside or something. He felt concern for Virgil and hoped Remus had had the sense to at least hide the younger boy. 

Janus opened the door and led the man down the darkened hallway that led to the kitchen. 

“Remus! I’m back! Don’t attack this guy! I brought him here!” Janus announced loudly. Shifting sound from the kitchen and then a heavy “bam!” showed where Remus had decided to hide this time. 

“Were you in the cupboards again?”, Janus asked, turning on the light to reveal the brown-haired teen standing in the middle of the kitchen. 

“Yeah, but this time I took off my shoes cuz last time you said you didn’t want dirty shoes in there,” Remus answered with a grin. 

“That doesn’t make things better.”

“So, who’s the guy?”, Remus asked, casting a suspicious glare at the man behind Janus. A shift in his stance showed Remus had just slipped a knife into his hand. 

“He has an offer for us,” Janus started. “It… it might help us get Virgil what he needs.”

A few more seconds under Remus’ scrutinizing glare before the younger teen finally nodded stiffly. “Virgil’s upstairs. Leave the cloak. It’ll make him anxious… and make it easier to stab you.” With that, Remus moved around them and made his way up the stairs, followed shortly after by Janus and then the man without the cloak. 

In the brighter light of the second floor, they were able to see the man had pitch black hair, abnormal golden eyes on a surprisingly handsome face, and wore all black clothing with some gray or gold highlights in some places. Besides that, however, the man looked like a typical man in his 30s, maybe 40s. 

The three person group entered a darkened room, filled with the stench of sickness. Remus moved quickly to the windows, drawing them to the sides to let in some light. Then he opened some of the windows for air. Meanwhile, Janus went straight to the large canopied bed that the light revealed to contain Virgil’s still, sickly form. 

“Virgil? Virgil, wake up. There’s something we need to talk about,” Janus said gently, shaking Virgil a little. Virgil frowned in his sleep, but slowly cracked open an eye. 

“What?”, he asked raspily. 

“Well, um, there’s this man here that’s offering all of us a better life if we, um, do something for him…”, Janus said, speaking for both Virgil and Remus now. 

“What... does he... want us to do?”, Virgil asked, ever cautious even in a barely-conscious state. 

“He wants, er, revenge on someone,” Janus answered hesitantly, feeling increasingly foolish for bringing this man to their home, but their was still that weird feeling deep inside. 

“Why...us?”

“Uh, he said he believed we’re capable of handling some ‘power’ and completing the job.”

“That’s… a lot of… confidence… to put in some… street rats,” Virgil huffed with a frown. 

“Hey, don’t so that bro. We’re more than just ‘street rats’ and we can handle many things,” Remus said encouragingly, although he did share some doubts about this man. 

“Well, I… I think we should give this a chance. I mean it’s just one job and he’ll support us for the rest of our lives, right?”, Janus asked, the last part directed at the man, who was standing by the door. The man nodded and stepped forward. 

“All I need is for all three of you to sign this contract saying you will accept the power I will give you to use against the person whom I want to exact my revenge on. In return, I will support you, starting from the moment you sign, with everything you need to live a plentiful life in a safe home and have the opportunity to follow your dreams,” the man said. 

Virgil still frowned in doubt and Remus had a neutral expression, but in his eyes there was a longing for a normal life like the one he used to have so long ago. 

“What is... your revenge plan?”, Virgil asked, and Janus almost cursed himself for not asking that. 

“I want to get rid of this… person, you could say. I can’t say much more about this person because it involves the ‘power’ I will give you and it’s history, which I already told your brother I would not reveal unless I was sure I had you acceptance.”

“What happens if we don’t agree?” Remus asked this time. 

“Well, as I already told your brother, I have a...way to get people to listen and believe in me as well as several interesting facts about you and your siblings. How would they react to knowing the seemingly random ‘street rats’ wandering their town are actually living in the house of a man they murdered and that this group is behind much of the murders and robberies that have left many towns in fear?”

“Oh, bring it on, you bastard! I’ll just kill you right here and now!”, Remus yelled, fully revealing the knife he’d kept hidden in his hand. 

“Hey, woah, Remus! Calm down!”, Janus exclaimed, grabbing Remus and keeping him from launching himself at the man. 

"Dead men tell no tales! We don't need his shifty help. Virgil doesn't trust him, so that's that!"

"We can't kill him!"

"He is right. I have connections that would just make your lives even worse."

"Then I'll just cut off his tongue! I'll rip out his vocal chords! He'll still be alive," Remus exclaimed victoriously, as if he had offered a better solution. 

“You are welcome to try.”

“Stop! No one is trying anything,” Janus snapped, his patience rapidly decreasing. “Remus, we should at least consider this. It could be the end to this life! I saw that you want that. And I don’t blame you. The life we live is hard and dangerous and I know there are so many things you want to see and try and do. Both of you. But you can’t do it if you continue to steal and kill, or just die from sickness. I… I feel like we should do this. I’m going to do this, but I don’t want to leave you behind,” Janus told the younger boys. Remus’ glare lessened, but his frown remained in place. Virgil just kept anxiously chewing on his lip and staring hard at his twisting hands. 

“You really want to trust this dude?”, Remus asked slowly. 

“Yeah…”

“Then I guess I can take this risk too. I mean, we live our whole lives taking risks! What’s another one? It’s how we start all of our greatest adventures!”, Remus said. 

“Are you... referring to all those... times you’ve started... something... that ended up with all of us... running for our lives? Cuz that’s all just been... your reckless... and, quite frankly, stupid ideas,” Virgil sassed, although his words lost some impact when he had coughing fit at the end. 

Janus snickered quietly as Remus replied indignantly. “My _brilliant_ ideas were not stupid, or reckless! Well, maybe a little reckless, but like I said, risks make life exciting!”

“Yeah, sure, madcap.”

“Okay, okay, let’s not distract ourselves from the matter at hand,” Janus interrupted with a resigned smile. “Remus and I have decided what to do about the offer already, Virgil. So, will you agree to this too? Remember, we’re not forcing you to choose to accept just because we did. Do whatever you feel is right. We will love you and stick by you no matter what, okay?”

Virgil nodded, but he still looked uncertain about what he would do. The two older males didn’t like pushing Virgil to make decisions like these in so little time because they knew how anxious and distressed he became, but it was something Virgil had to decide for himself. All they could do was show they would be by his side no matter what. 

Virgil looked up and around the room, his eyes landing on the man still standing behind Janus by the door. For a moment, Janus swore he saw something flash through Virgil’s eyes, but when Virgil didn’t react further, besides looking back at Janus and Remus, Janus chalked it up to the lighting of the room. 

“Well, I guess if we’re all together everything should be fine?” Virgil began uncertainly. “I mean, we’ve gotten out of troubles before and we all make such a great team so if things go wrong then we can just get out of there and disappear again, right?”

“Of course,” Janus said, although something in his gut told him that might be a lie. 

“Then, I’ll accept the offer as well,” Virgil said with a firm nod and a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. Abrupt ending, I know. Sorry. ^^"
> 
> But I have you all enjoyed nonetheless. I wanted to give you all something instead of waiting for a late update again. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading and for all your kudos and comments! We got to 1k hits!!!! And we're almost at 100 kudos!!!  
> I cannot express how happy I am. Thank you so much!!
> 
> Take care out there, everyone, and stay safe!  
> Protect and love each other!  
> Bye~!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the second part of the last chapter and there are some explanations. Well, I hope it helps explain things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another late chapter! Woohoo? ^^"
> 
> It's turning into a bad habit, posting late. Sorry about that. But here's the promised second part!  
> I added some more to make it a decently sized chapter, so yeah, I hope you all like it and that I don't confuse you more than you already might be. ^-^"
> 
> Oops, almost forgot! WARNING for some cursing and bad language and a short moment where Remus is being Remus. 
> 
> Enjoy!

_Virgil looked up and around the room, his eyes landing on the man still standing behind Janus by the door. For a moment, Janus swore he saw something flash through Virgil’s eyes, but when Virgil didn’t react further, besides looking back at Janus and Remus, Janus chalked it up to the lighting of the room._

_“Well, I guess if... we’re all together everything... should be fine?” Virgil began uncertainly. “I mean, we’ve gotten... out of troubles before... and we all make such a great... team so if things go wrong... then we can just get out of there and... disappear... again, right?”_

_“Of course,” Janus said, although something in his gut told him that might be a lie._

_“Then, I’ll accept the offer as well,” Virgil said with a firm nod and a smile._

Their small moment was interrupted by the man who cleared his throat and moved from his place by the door towards them. 

“While I do find your sibling bond heartwarming, I’m afraid we should hurry. If you would all sign here--” the man presented a scroll with immaculate, fancy script before the group-- “then the deal will be sealed and I will take you to your new home.”

While the boys frowned at the man for interrupting, they did as told and signed their names on the scroll. They each tried to read what the scroll said, but the words seemed to be written in a different language, even though they weren’t. This meant they were giving this man a _bit more_ trust than they should be, and when they remembered later they would wonder why their intuition, honed on the deceitful streets, hadn’t kept them from doing so, but at the moment they were so hopeful deep inside that nothing stopped them except for a hesitation in their hands that only managed to slightly slow them down as they each wrote their names. Later they would also swear they remembered the words on the scroll glow slightly when they finished, which should have made them even more suspicious, but, again, at the moment it had gone right over their heads. 

“Alright, now that that’s done, why don’t we go out to the carriage awaiting us?”, the man suggested with a seemingly kind smile. "Don't worry. I will have someone help young Virgil down to our ride", the man assured when he saw Remus begin to speak. "You need not concern yourself over small matters now. I promised a better life, so as royalty you shall live. Or at least as really high nobility. Oh, here comes your assistance. I suggest you pack whatever you may wish to take with you, if you have anything and go out to the front gate. I will wait in the carriage there. You can’t miss it.” With that said, the man rolled up his scroll, tucked it into his shirt and walked out of the room. 

Janus, Remus and Virgil looked at each other, so many more questions now arising in their minds, but with the appearance of several servants they were unable to voice said questions. Instead, Janus and Remus began to pack their clothes and other little items they personally owned and some they might need. Since Virgil's things hadn't really been unpacked because he'd mostly just been laying in bed fighting not to die, Virgil was allowed to be taken to the carriage before them. 

“Are you sure about this Janus?”, Remus asked once the servants had left with Virgil in tow. “I mean, I know I sounded all unconcerned and carefree about it, but that was mostly to put Virgil at ease. You know how he gets. And he was really doubtful about this whole thing, although he surprisingly agreed at the end.”

“I know, Remus, I know, but this could be good. I mean, the man is already making good on his promise so maybe he is trustworthy, although this ‘power’ he says he’ll give us concerns me a little. I hope it doesn’t have any bad side effects. That might be why he chose us for it, now that I think about it,” Janus pondered suddenly. 

“Well, it’s too late for that now, I think. The deal is done and while I normally wouldn’t object on betraying some shady person, this guy does seem kind of dangerous,” Remus said, a little dejectedly, as he picked up Virgil's hoodie from the bed.

"Is that why you tried to attack him saying you would pull out his vocal chords?", Janus said with a laugh.

"Just because someone is dangerous does it mean you shouldn't attack them!" At Janus' raised eyebrows, Remus spluttered indignantly. "Okay, so maybe it does, but only because people are cowards and pathetic! I'm not! I revel in situations like those! Maybe a little too much, but you can't tell me the sight of such smooth, glistening blood covering your handy-dandy blade as you lick away the metallic taste of your victim's blood from your lips and watch the glorious terror in their eyes as their light fades and their body stops--"

"Okay, _I'm_ going to stop you right there and tell you that I most definitely _can_ say all of that is not addicting," Janus interrupted with a deadpan. 

"Aww, you're no fun...J- _anus_."

"I'm going to pretend I did not just hear because I find it much more annoying having to come with a story for Virgil about why he's now missing an older brother," Janus said, coolly grabbing a final blanket before walking out the room without looking back, although Remus' laughter as the younger teen followed him made it hard not to reevaluate his decision. 

Once outside, through the front door this time, the two brothers so it was true what the man had said. The carriage really was not easy to miss. 

It was a large, four-horse carriage, completely black, but with beautifully intricate golden decorations and accents that gave it a mysterious yet elegant air. Behind it was a smaller wagon, although just as good in quality, where the servants were already beginning to get on. Through the small curtained windows of the carriage, Janus and Remus saw the man sitting inside in front of Virgil, who was wrapped in blankets and cushioned with enough pillows so the ride would most likely just feel like another afternoon in bed. Janus and Remus decided to quickly get on and save their youngest brother from the awkwardness that probably filled the air in there. 

"So, um, where are we going?" Remus asked, once he was comfortably seated next to the man he'd threatened to kill and the carriage had started moving. 

"A small town further south from here," the man answered simply. 

"Jerasakii Village isn't really _small_. And it's also pretty poor," Janus commented skeptically, throwing a wary glance at the man across him. 

"Oh, we're not going to Jerasakii. The town we're going too is even further south. It's pretty secluded from the world, so I wouldn't be surprised if you have never heard of it.”

Since it seemed nothing else was going to be said about it, Virgil asked the next question. 

“What’s...your name?”

“Sarun Nati, but just call me Sarun,” the man answered with another one of his ‘kind’ smies. 

“That’s such a weird name.”

“Remus! Be nice!”

“Whaaat?”

“It’s alright. Anyway, I believe you all had a lot more questions for me before. I can answer them better now that the deal has been sealed. If you try to break the deal or share this information with others, well, it would be unpleasant for you to find out,” the man said. Remus’ eyes narrowed at the veiled threat, but Janus’ foot pressing down on his own kept him from doing, or saying anything. 

“You could start explaining this revenge thing, and the ‘power’ you mentioned since you said it’s all tied up,” Janus suggested. 

“Yes, I believe that is as good as any place to start.”

The man proceeded to delve into a story that sounded like it could have been a fairytale. It was about the first born son of one of the most respected and well known beings of the universe. Because of his status, the son was given a planet to watch over when he came of age, as other universal beings with similar status were. Since this would be his first planet, the son would be advised by two other spirits: one for all things good and one for all things bad, Light and Dark. However, Light didn’t want Dark to help in advising the young being in fear of letting the young being be ‘contaminated’, or even influenced, by Dark’s, well, theme. So Dark was cast out by Light from the young being’s presence and forgotten as the whole world and its people was built around them. 

“The son, the young being, is what you call the Saindars spirit,” the man finished. 

“Wait, but isn’t the Saindars spirit just some creation by the royals to create order?”, Janus asked uncertainly, sharing a glance with Virgil who looked just as confused. 

“Hey, don’t look at me! I didn’t pay attention to these things back at the palace,” Remus said when his brothers looked at him for some explanation or something. “Vengeful spirits were much more fun to think about than some goody-two-shoes ghost that only stayed inside a room.”

“I assure you what I say is true. I am a... representative of Dark that will help them carry out their revenge. They resent being kept from building this world with Saindars since it was a task equally and fairly given to them as it was to Light. It is because of Light’s selfish act that this world is as broken as it is now. With no knowledge of the darkness, how can one defend from it?”, the man continued. 

“It still sounds...fantastical, but… it seems too complex to deny, I guess?”, Virgil said slowly. Janus nodded, similar thoughts running through his head. Also, the man didn’t have any of the telltale signs of a lying man. 

“You still haven’t explained the powers, Sara or whatever your name is,” Remus spoke up. 

“Sarun. And, yes, I was coming to that,” Sarun answered coolly. “As I said before, your powers are wrapped up in this story. That is because your power will come from Dark. They will be a piece of his being granted to each of you so it can be cultivated and grown and therefore indirectly increase Dark’s power. It will also increase the number of their forces which is only you three and one other like you.”

“There is someone else?”

“Yes, that’s what I said. However, you will not be meeting him anytime soon. He has more practice with his power and is out in the world growing it, so you will not see him until the three of you have gained control over your own powers and are able to actually find him out in the world. Anyway, with Dark’s power more spread out, they will have more chance of victory, since Light slowed that down when he created his Chosen about two years back. Of course, Light wasn’t trying to fight back since the spineless coward is all about ‘talking and peace’, but they inadvertently did create a strong defense.”

“What...were they trying...to do?”

“They noticed the ‘darkness’ of the ‘contaminated’ lands was beginning to spread faster and faster, and was getting closer to their beloved ‘haven’, the Central kingdom, they had created for Saindar. So they gave out their power, as Dark is doing now, with three young boys so they would help them spread ‘good’ around better. This kept Dark from easily taking over his land through ‘broken’ areas and also increased the number of people he would have to fight. You three, and the fourth, will take down the Chosen so Dark can focus on Light.”

“Wait, so does that mean we will be destroying the literal ‘Good’ in the world?”, Janus asked suddenly when Sarun finished talking. 

“No…. Dark knows there is a need for Light in the world and next to Saindars. They won’t... destroy Light, only... take back what should have been theirs. They will be in control this time.”

Janus and Virgil watched as Sarun’s face took on a dark, longing expression, sharing a cautious glance with each other. Remus shifted away from the man slightly. To say they were unnerved and a lot more concerned about this whole mess they had unwittingly gotten into was an understatement. They were terrified because it seemed they had just fallen into what should have been an obvious trap and they had no idea how they would get out. 

Sarun came out of his stupor with a slight shake of his head before looking at each of them. 

“I will allow you to have sometime for yourselves and rest. The ride will take about two, perhaps three hours longer and the sun seems to have set for the day. Any other explanations will come with time since they will be easier to explain once your own powers have surfaced. Gain strength through sleep while you still can. You will need it when the process starts.” Without allowing them a chance to say anything more, Sarun somehow just vanished from his seat. Mumbled words from outside at the front of the carriage told them where he was. 

“I think we’re f*cked,” Remus commented helpfully after a moment of heavy silence. 

“You think? Ugh, we should have known this would be bigger than it seemed. He was being so vague and suspicious, for crying out loud!”, Janus exclaimed with quiet anger. 

“I-i should… have s-said… something. It w-was… my fault. I’m s-sorry,...I-i-”

“No, no, Virgil. It wasn’t your fault. You were suspicious right till the end. I let myself get won over and dragged Remus in, then you. I should know how to protect you guys from all this already! It’s been, what, five years almost six?”

“We should all have known better, Janus. We’ve grown on the same streets you have. So it wasn’t your complete fault either. So let’s just agree to disagree on that matter and focus on now. While I would love to just slit the ‘Sara’ man’s throat and be done with this, I doubt I’ll be able to and that would just bring more problems. Also, the man seemed to be telling the truth about the ‘consequences’ thing, right Janus?”

“Yeah.”

“So I say we just enjoy the awesome ride for now, take a nap like the man said, and we’ll figure things out later. Sounds like a plan?”

“Well, I certainly… wouldn’t mind… some sleep. I just…. could you sing, Janus?”, Virgil asked hesitantly. 

“Now?” Janus asked, a light blush rising as he thought of the servants and Sarun that would hear him sing as well. 

“Aww, come on, JJ. Don’t tell me youwe embawassed?”, Remus mocked playfully, leaning forward with a mock pouty face. 

“No, I just don’t think we should show our weaknesses like this,” Janus retorted highly. 

“Don’t worry Janus. I wouldn’t call your singing a weakness,” Virgil supplied, seemingly helpful before he added, “I would say that’s your sewing skills, even baking skills, are a weakness! I remember Remus used one of your cookies as a replacement for a rock to make a fire!”

“Oh my gosh! Yesss!! That was so bad! Hahahaha! I bet one of those cookies could knock someone out!”

“Ooh, that’s not a bad idea. Maybe his baking skills aren’t a weakness after all, just an anomaly!”

“Alright, alright. I get it, you little sh*tholes. Geez, I drew a splinter from the straw when I decided to deal with you brats,” Janus huffed as the other two continued to laugh. Their joy was cut off when Virgil was attacked by another coughing fit. Remus was quick to grab the water bag he carried and hand it over to Janus who waited patiently, gently rubbing Virgil’s back as the coughs turned into a vomiting spree out the side of the carriage. When Virgil finally quieted, Janus gave the panting, trembling boy the water, making him drink slowly. 

“Rest, Virgil. And, fine I’ll sing so don’t speak anymore,” Janus conceded heavily with a roll of his eyes, but there was a warm smile on his lips as he pulled the boy closer to his side. 

“You get some rest, too, Remus. I don’t want you awake and bothering me for the rest of this trip,” he added to the other boy. 

“Aww, you’re no fun.”

When both were comfortable, Janus began to softly sing, letting his eyes wander to the roof of the carriage as his hand brushed Virgil’s soft hair. 

_“Let's go in the garden  
You'll find something waiting  
Right there where you left it  
Lying upside down_

_When you finally find it  
You'll see how it's faded  
The underside is lighter  
When you turn it around_

_Everything stays  
Right where you left it  
Everything stays  
But it still changes  
Ever so slightly  
Daily and nightly  
In little ways  
When everything stays….”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I make the second half longer just to add some more brotherly shenanigans and Janus singing? Possibly, but I am much more happy with this version than what would have been just another part of the last chapter. 
> 
> Anyways, the song was Everything Stays from Adventure Time, so that's definitely not mine. But it's such a nice song I recommend you all to listen to it if you haven't and if you have...well, listen to it again! ^-^
> 
> Also, I hope the explanations in the chapter made sense, if not then feel free to ask questions and I'll try my best to explain. But some things are meant to be a mystery or a tad bit confusing because Sarun is actually hiding something and other things will be better explained later on from a different perspective. 
> 
> So, yah! Thank you for reading and for the actual 100+ kudos this story know has! ^-^/`  
> I am bursting with joy!
> 
> Take care and stay safe wherever you are, everyone!  
> Protect and love each other!  
> Till next time~!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new home, new people, and even more explanations. I hope they don’t get confusing. “^^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys..... “^^
> 
> Sorry for the sudden hiatus. I had not planned to disappear for so long, but life never goes as planned I guess. 
> 
> I hope this chapter is worth the wait. I don’t really know how I feel about this one, so I hope you guys enjoy it.
> 
> OH! I also have some exciting news (I think) in the end notes, so if you could read that, then great! Okay, you can go ahead now ^-^/
> 
> WARNINGS- Remus being Remus, some Virgil being Virgil, and some bad language.

“Janus? Janus, wake up. It's morning. We must've stopped at some point during the night, but I think we’re near to… wherever we’re supposed to be now.”

Janus groaned as he opened his eyes and groggily pushed himself off the soft pillow at his side. 

“About time,” his pillow spoke raspily. “I thought I was going to be crushed forever. How heavy are your scales?”

“Shatahp. My scales aren’t any heavier than normal skin,” Janus huffed tiredly, taking a moment to stretch.

“Then I guess it’s just fat.”

That woke him up completely. 

“I’m not fat!” Janus yelled, facing his youngest, blanket-covered brother with flaming eyes, Remus’ laughter in front of them irking him further. “F*cking brats. No, brats would be considering you children. Both of you are a**holes. Even that is too kind of a word for you two.”

“Hahaha! You pushed Janus to cursing level, Virge! This is priceless!”

“Damn, Janus, how could you call your siblings that. And I am still a kid, technically, so be careful what you say, big brother,” Virgil said from behind the hand covering an impish grin. 

“Oh, shush, Virgil. You and I both know that you are far from a child. Especially with Remus as a brother,” Janus retorted with a sniff. 

Virgil let out a short laugh at that while Remus answered with mock indignation. "Ouch, that's a little cold, dearest brother of mine. It's not my fault I am more mature than even the oldest"

"YOU'RE NOT MATURE!” 

Remus laughed at Virgil and Janus’ combined shout. 

"My feisty, are we? And so early in the morning as well. Well, that's what you can expect from the youth these days"

"Agh! What the heck?! Where'd you come from?!" Remus exclaimed, jumping away from Sarun Nati who had just appeared next to him. 

“We will be arriving at your new home town shortly. The actual place you will live in is not in the town per say. It is further in the forest, near the outskirts of this small haven. However, since you will have to interact with the people of the town, we will be stopping there anyway to present you to the people. That is why we stopped during the night to arrive at the town in the morning,” Sarun Nati informed them, ignoring Remus’ shock coolly.

“Do we _have_ to be presented? What if they think we’re presumptuous? Or pushy? It could leave a bad first impression on them and they won’t like us, and now we’re all going to live together and they won’t like us even more. And they might be offended we live so far away from them and think we’re mean and don’t like them which isn’t true but how could they know that? And they might ignore us for being cold and then we’ll just be living like we always have and nothing would have changed because everyone still hates us and pushes us away because they don’t know us but that’s not their fault it’s just mine cuz I don’t know how to speak properly or act nice but I want to but I can’t...”

Janus, Remus, and even Sarun, were all taken aback by the run-on ramble Virgil had just dropped on all of them. 

"Geez, you really dropped the ball on us there, huh Virgil? Got lost two words in though, so you might have to repeat all that…", Remus broke the ensuing silence sheepishly. 

"It's okay, Virgil. I'm sure that with the right steps we can avoid all that from happening,” Janus spoke up reassuringly before Virgil actually did spiral into his thoughts once more. “Being presented might not be such a bad thing. It could actually help us gain support from the people and some trust since we will be introduced by someone I assume is well known here since, you know, he's offered to present us and he knows about this town which none else knows about. And even if things do take a bad turn somewhere we can fix it or deal with it. It'll be nothing new, remember? We can do this." 

His words seem to comfort the anxious boy enough so he’s no longer pulling at his collar and scratching himself. When Virgil’s hands are back in his lap, only twisting the blankets around him now, Janus turns to Sarun.

"I'm sorry about that. Virgil tends to get extremely anxious at times and voicing it helps him put things in order instead of losing himself alone in his mind, and it also helps us help him. He hasn’t done it in a while because being sick sapped his strength, so it took us a little by surprise", he says, for some reason finding it necessary to explain all that to the man. (It wasn’t really any of his business and if he had a problem with Virgil then Sarun would be facing Janus and Remus. Wait, so why had he explained it like that?)

Virgil’s eyes widen as he realizes, thanks to Janus’ words, that he had interrupted the man before. Virgil tensed in fear once more and his hands began to rise up his chest again. 

"I-I- I’m s-sorry, I-I… I didn’t mean t-to, to interrupt, o-or imply what you were doing was wrong, I just, it won’t happen again. I can control myself, I promise! It was just-!”

“Virgil! Virgil, it’s okay. Breathe with me. In for four… hold for seven… out for eight. Good. You’re doing great, buddy. Just listen to my voice. Remember what Remus and I told you before? It’s okay to express yourself. No one should have a problem with you and if they do that doesn’t mean it’s your fault. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to just to please others, you got me? It’s alright. Sorry if my words gave you the wrong idea,” Janus comforted the younger boy again, using one hand to rub calming circles on the back of Virgil’s trembling hands. He blew soft gusts of wind into the younger face and use his other hand to move Virgil’s hair soothingly.

“You okay now, emo?”, Remus asked lightly, although the concern still clearly underlined his tone as he patted Virgil’s knee softly. Virgil nodded tightly, looking up at the two of them quickly before glancing at Sarun and, just as fast, recentering his attention on the blanket in his lap. 

“Don’t worry about this guy. I’ll make sure he never hears or speaks again if he says anything you don’t like,” Remus said with a bloodthirsty grin when he notices Virgil's last reaction. 

“I doubt you could get that far, but I believe the sentiment is what counts among the...powerless. At any rate-,” the man continues before Remus could interrupt,- “I am not bothered by your rambling. If anything, it only adds to the list of qualities that make you suitable for the power I will give you."

Virgil's face shows his surprise at Sarun's words. For once someone, outside his family, wanted specifically him even with his flaws. Heck, his flaws made him even more wanted?

Janus' eyes narrowed at the last statement, not sure whether to be suspicious of it or approving for accepting Virgil. 

“However, even though I understand and have noted your concerns, I can assure you everything will work out. The people know me well and will accept anyone I bring cordially. And even if some of your concerns do come to pass, it will not ruin your new life. After all, you will only be staying here for about three years, more or less, until I have a need of you and after that you will be capable of setting up a normal life just about anywhere you would wish,” Sarun said. 

“Woah, wait up a minute! We’re not doing this ‘job’, or revenge or whatever, immediately? Or at least soon?”, Remus exclaimed.  
“Of course not. You must adjust to not only the power you will receive, but also to living within society once more. There is only so much I can do to grant you a normal, easy life. You will have to learn to maintain it on your own as well, and even how to make it even better. This means you will have to catch up education wise.”

“You mean we have to go to school?!”, Remus complained. Virgil scrunched his nose in disgust. 

“Something like that. I will explain this better when we are at your new home. For now, be ready to face the town when we stop. The town is in view.”

With that, Sarun vanished again and the three were alone once more. 

“Geez, he has to stop doing that,” Remus muttered, glaring at the place the man had been sitting in just a few seconds ago. 

“You should be used to it by now,” Virgil pointed out quietly. 

“I guess. Ughhhh, I can’t believe we have to go to school…… We went so many years avoiding it, but it caught up to us anyhow,” Remus whined, slumping in his chair. 

“Well, we didn’t completely ignore education,” Janus said as he began to change his shirt. 

“Cuz you wouldn’t let us,” Remus grumbled. 

“I wasn’t going to let my brothers grow up to be illiterate and stupid as well as uncivilized.”

“Ouch. I can take the stupid and illiterate, but we’re not uncivilized. We know how to act well enough,” Virgil said, receiving the shirt Janus threw at him and trading that one for the one he had on. 

“Sassing anyone you may talk to and being pessimistic and, frankly, rude sometimes, is not civilized. And I won’t even begin to point out how Remus is uncivilized.”

“I snap when I get nervous and people do that to me,” Virgil defends himself. “But I can see what you mean with Remus.”

“Hey, I thought you were defending both of us!”

“I never said that. And what are you wearing? You know it's cold outside.”

“Yeah, but a little cold never killed anyone. Besides I gotta leave a good first impression,” Remus exclaimed happily as he finished slipping on tacky, striped shorts and then grabbed a bright green shirt. 

“You’ll leave an impression, alright. Just not sure what kind.”

“Alright, you two, while your silly banter keeps me entertained, please focus on getting ready. I think that’s the center up ahead and Remus you are barefoot and Virgil, your hair looks like a rat’s nest,” Janus told them. 

They moved quickly from there, Virgil folding the blankets, Remus picking up their dirty clothes to place in a bag, and Janus fixing Virgil’s hair. When the carriage stopped, they were just slipping on their sweaters. 

They sat in silence as they watched people gather into the town square and Sarun Nati walk to stand next to the carriage door. 

“People of Bahar, I am glad to be among you once again,” Sarun Nati began. “It has been a long time, but life does not wait for anyone, not even me, and I have been busy, travelling around the world. It saddens me that I will be unable to stay for long this time as well, but I hope those I have brought with me today will receive the warmhearted welcome I would have. I will now introduce--”

“I think this is our turn,” Remus whispered. 

“--Virgil Cita--”

“Cita?”, Virgil questioned, but Remus just pushed the door open and the younger boy out. 

“--Remus Kalel--”

“He could’ve done better,” Remus commented before jumping out the carriage. 

“And Janus Cetarun.”

Janus took a deep breath, touching the bandages on his face to make sure they were in place. But just as he was about to step out, he impulsively ripped off the bandages and tossed them behind him, jumping out to follow his brothers with his head held high. If he was starting a new life here, he would start without hiding who he was. 

“I expect everyone to treat them with the same respect as me. They are-”

“IT’S YOU!”

Janus’ head snapped to the right side of the crowd from where the sudden shout had come from. He could see the people on that side begin to shift away from the one who had interrupted Sarun. 

“You filthy snake! Disgusting monster! Everything is your FAULT!”

Janus barely had the chance to look over the man yelling before he stumbled back when something hit the side of his head. He gasped in pain, clutching his face where he’d been hit. A rock the size of his hand tumbled to the ground before him. 

“Janus!”, his brothers screamed, turning to him immediately. Virgil moved closer and in front of Janus, throwing a frightening hiss at the people on the right side as he slipped out some knives from his sleeves. Remus, on the other hand, stepped away from the two and closer to the crowd, gleaming eyes set on the offending man as a maniacal grin spread across his face. The crowd gasped and moved away fearfully when Remus brandished a kitchen knife from under his jacket (why the heck did he still have that?). 

The offending man looks scared now, but he is obviously either too stubborn or stupid to back down because he keeps screaming at Janus. 

“You wretch! You should have never been born! You're a demon! A monster! The lowliest spawn of devils! It's because of you, you cursed animal! Everything is gone! _Everyone_ is gone! And you will disappear too!"

Janus watched, frozen, as the man began to run through the opening crowd straight towards his two brothers who stood ready to attack the moment the man was within reach. He wanted to stop them because they didn't need to show everyone what they could _do_ , but he was still shaken by the hatred in the man's eyes and in his words and voice, and his head pounded from the blow received and _was that blood? Gosh, he was bleeding! No wonder Virgil and Remus were ready to murder, although it didnt take much to convince Remus to do so anyway, but they shouldnt right now because they were new and this would leave a bad impression and they didnt want to miss this chance at a normal life, although that had probably been ruined by this guy anyway. ...That's right. The man had ruined their chance at a normal life. Who even was he? How dare he ruin this chance for his brothers? You know what, fuck this guy and his problems! Everyone had problems with him anyway! He would fight this guy and make him regret picking a fight now! He'd show him the monster!_

"That is enough, mister Romal." Sarun Nati's voice cut through the tension like lightning. Immediately the man, Romal _(Romal? Didn't he know that name?)_ , stopped in his tracks. Now the overpowering emotion in his eyes was no longer hate and anger, but fear. 

"I had expected the people in this town to leave a good first impression of this place to my guests, but it seems that is too much to ask. Not only that, despite expressing quite clearly to treat them as you treat me, you proceeded to act as you did immediately after, interrupting me in the process, and have therefore disrespected me twice. I do not take kindly to such offense, mister Romal." Sarun kept the man under a hard stare for a few more seconds before he turned back to the rest of the crowd. "It is unfortunate that we were interrupted and I'm afraid the moment is now lost. So, we will take our leave now and hopefully this rift can be resolved between you and my guests when they visit the town again. Farewell."

Virgil’s small hands pulling his arm brought Janus completely out of his stupor. He let Virgil pull him up to his feet, then they both grabbed a still glaring Remus and followed after Sarun Nati to reboard the carriage. 

The three sat in silence, comforting each other with only their presence. None of them were sure how to breach the subject about what had just happened. Instead, they just looked out the window, watching houses get replaced by trees as they entered the forest on the far side of the town. The morning sun shone brightly over the trees and cast shadows everywhere. 

"You know, so much has happened in the short span of yesterday and today that I forgot we haven't eaten since lunch yesterday," Janus commented absently, still watching trees go by.

"We could have had mystery meat breakfast sandwiches if Sarun hadn't stopped things," Remus grumbled.

"Ew," Virgil said simply. 

"It was for the best that he stopped things from escalating. It wouldn't have been good to show our darker sides so soon and so publicly in front of the people that are supposed to be our neighbors," Janus pointed out. 

"Boring…", Remus sighed.

"What _was_ all that about, Janus? That guy seemed to know you," Virgil said, finally asking the burning question. 

"I don't know. I honestly don't remember him. I'll probably remember later, though, or we can go ask him in person later," Janus suggested. 

"We're going back so soon?"

"Are you sure that's safe?"

"Yes, it's better to face them sooner rather than later. And, I'm sure we'll be fine. We didn't survive the streets just to get beaten by some rando," Janus answered.

"I guess. It was frightening, though, the amount of hate in his eyes." Virgil shivered at the thought. 

Silence descended on them again as they each got lost in their own thoughts. No one spoke again until they reached the house. Then, the excitement and wonder at seeing such a huge house made them forget the dark feelings and events from before. 

It wasn’t that much bigger than the place they’d just moved out of, but the wonder lay in the fact this was their own place! 

Sarun Nati led the three excited boys from room to room, although Janus would never admit he’d skipped and jumped around like his wild siblings. (No, he was almost an adult). The place was just a dream come true! It had a huge living room, huge kitchen, a dining room, several bathrooms with large tubs, more bedrooms than there were, well, thems, a library, an attic, balconies, pantries and walk-in closets, and other storage rooms, and even a nice little porch in the back. 

So, maybe it was a lot bigger than the other house. 

After the tour, a delicious brunch waited for them back in their new dining room. That food was probably the most enjoyed food in the world. 

Of course, the reason they had this new life didn’t completely flee from their minds, but they’d always had to deal with something in their lives and the brothers knew better than to let that little problem ruin their day. 

After the meal, Sarun Nati left them with a few more instructions on what they would be doing, when he would be back, and free reign over the servants (apparently they all had homes in town so they could decide whether they wanted to let the servants go, or keep them in their new home, or whatever.)

Janus, Remus, and Virgil watched the man leave and were almost surprised when they saw him disappear completely as he walked. Almost.

"Well, that was something, huh?" Remus said with a low whistle. 

"Right on," Virgil agreed with a small nod. "Everything still seems so surreal."

A few more moments of silence, then--

"What now?" Remus asked. 

"Now, Virgil will take a nap and you will stay with him," Janus said. 

"What? Why?", Virgil protested. 

"You're still sick and you need to rest. You're only still moving because of the adrenaline from everything that's happened until now," Janus answered. 

"Well, why do I have to stay with him? Where are you going to go?", Remus asked. 

"Nowhere…"

"You're going back into town," Virgil accused him. The answering silence only incriminated him more. 

"Family shouldn't lie to each other, I thought we covered that, Janus," Remus said, uncharacteristically serious. 

"I just don't think both of you should get dragged into this. It's clearly only my problem," Janus argued weakly. 

"Your problems stopped being just your problems when we became more than friends,” Remus snapped. “We're brothers, Jan. We've established this many times over and that's not going to change just because we have a fancy house now.” Virgil nodded in agreement with Remus, a determined look on his face. 

"Ugh, I wish you were both still young and oblivious. You were easier to fool as kids," Janus relented after a few seconds of staring each other down. 

"Yay! So we can come with you? We want to explore the town too!" Remus exclaimed, back to his peppy self. 

"Yes, but Virgil still has to take a nap, so we'll go later." 

"Whatever. Just don't sneak away while I sleep," Virgil warned with a glare. 

"Don't worry, emo. I'll keep an eye on our impulsive older bro," Remus assured the younger boy while throwing an arm over Janus’ shoulders and pulling him close, a teasing grin spread over his face. 

“We’ll see who’s keeping an eye on who,” Janus grumbled, trying to pull away from Remus’ hold, but he couldn’t stop himself from smiling as the three of them walked inside the house. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

True to his word, Janus stayed with his brothers for the next two hours while Virgil took a much needed rest. He’d fallen asleep almost immediately after touching the huge bed that was now his, despite his insistence that he was doing much better and didn’t really feel tired. Janus almost forced the boy to keep sleeping when he woke up later, seeing his body trembling with exhaustion, but Virgil would not accept being ‘left behind’, so Janus grabbed some snacks, a money bag Sarun had left, and other little things for their short trip while Remus helped Virgil dress. They told the servants, who were still here cuz the three weren’t sure yet what to do, that they were heading into town for a while and wouldn’t be back for lunch. They also offered to buy stuff if something was needed, which they accepted gratefully, giving them a small list, and then the boys had gotten into the carriage, also still here, and let themselves be driven back into town. 

“You may leave if you want, sir,” Janus told their coachman when they had reached their destination. “I’m not sure how long we’ll stay in town and I don’t want to make you wait for long.”

The man looked surprised at his words, but he shook his head. “Don’t worry, young man, I don’t mind waiting. If you don’t mind, I would like to meet someone in town myself.”

“Of course,” Janus accepted, taken aback by the fact the man felt it necessary to ask. His opinion had never mattered to other people and now others asked if he minded they do something. “We can meet you wherever you are meeting this person when we are ready to leave,” Janus continued. 

“As you wish, young sir,” the man said with a little head bow. “I will wait for you at the Remelio restaurant.”

The man waited for Janus’ nod and then, with a tip of his hat in farewell to the three, the man drove off. 

“So formal. Reminds me of the servants back at the castle,” Remus commented as they began walking. 

“That’s probably how we’ll be living from now on,” Janus said. 

“So much pressure. There will be so many judgmental eyes watching our every move and every word as they are forced to follow our every order and act nice in front of you and we will never know if what they show is real or an act,” Virgil lamented, seeming to sink into his hoodie. 

“Ah, don’t look at it that way, Virgy. You have to think of the brighter possibilities,” Remus told him, pulling him into a one-armed hug. 

“What if that _is_ the brightest possibility?”, Virgil retorted. 

“Nah, that’s just your brightest. But don’t worry, I assure you that, if treated right, the servants can be some of your most loyal and honest friends. You just gotta help them get over the ‘master/servant’ thing and then they’ll be cool. Trust me, I know,” Remus said. “Honestly, the servants were more of a parental figure to me than my actual parents. Funny, right?”

“Only you would find that funny,” Virgil answered bitterly, but the crooked smile on his face showed he appreciated his brother’s attempt at cheering him up. Janus, on the other hand, looked away to keep them from seeing the dark look that passed over his face at Remus’ last statement. The resentment and bitterness towards Remus’ past family had never quite left Janus. 

“Oh, can we go in there?” Virgil suddenly asked, pointing at a dimly lit clothing store. 

“Your taste never changes, emo.”

“Shut up, Remus. You’re the one who made me like this.”

“My style is not dark and broody.”

“It’s not broody!”

“Whatever, man.”

The stop at the clothes store was fun, the two younger boys looking freely through the store at the variety of clothing they now had access to. Even Janus allowed himself to look through some cloaks, trying to find one he liked. A cloak would be much cooler and easier to wear, especially in the summer, and it would effectively cover his scales. He found a long, black one with a nice golden brooch. Remus then brought him some shirts and a pair of casual dress pants, saying Janus would fit the formal style. Seeing the garish outfit Remus had already put together and the fact that it actually fit him made Janus decide to trust his brother’s fashion sense, however peculiar it may be. At least it wasn’t like Virgil’s fashion sense, which only accepted dark colored, ripped, or baggy clothing as valid. 

After the clothes store, they stopped at a shoe shop, then at the gift/toy shop, and then they went to the grocery shop and the bakery to buy whatever was on the list for the servants. All the while, Janus kept an eye out for the man, Romal, and even asked the workers at some stores about him, but everyone told him they hadn’t seen him and then quickly walked away. After leaving the bakery the three brothers decided to take a break at the cafe. They didn’t want to leave just yet, but they wouldn’t mind a drink and something to munch on. They vaguely registered their fascination with being able to eat whenever they wanted. 

“There’s a place over there, I think,” Virgil pointed as they walked down the semi-empty streets with bags in hand. 

“Oh, great. I feel like my arms are about to pop off," Remus whined. "I don't want to ruin my new clothes just yet. Bloody limbs and gooey flesh is cool and all, but only at the right moment and certainly not if it's my own. I mean, it’s bound to be painful, right?”

“Remus, I will always be amazed by how you can jump from one normal topic to a more extreme one,” Janus sighed, stifling the urge to facepalm. 

“Heh, what even is normal anymore, right Virge?”

“Yeah. Normal is so overrated anyway.”

“Fine. Then at least try to act like teenagers that haven’t become murderers and master thieves before 18,” Janus said with a roll of his eyes. 

“Oh, brother, but we are murderers and master thieves. Are you perhaps ashamed of our pasts?”

“Of course not,” Janus said with a frown. “I just don’t want the people here to be scared of us anymore than they already probably are. I mean, just look at what happened at that welcome earlier. We’re supposed to be here to start a new life, not continue where we left off. I just don’t want us to throw away this chance,” Janus finished with a sigh. 

Remus and Virgil glanced at each other, then caught up to Janus who had walked ahead of them while he’d been speaking. 

“Sorry, Jan, we didn’t mean to offend you or anything. We were just messing with you,” Remus apologized. 

“Yeah. Sorry, Janus,” Virgil echoed. 

“It’s fine. And I know you didn’t. I’ve been around you both long enough to know when you’re just being troublemakers.” Janus smiled at the two younger boys and ruffled their hair with practiced ease. “But seriously, don’t act like savages when we’re eating.”

“Tell that to Remus.”

“Whaaaat?”

The three reached the small, hut-like cafe, holding the door open for each other as they maneuvered their bags through the entrance. Inside seemed empty, probably because everyone else was eating at their homes or something. 

“Hello?”, Remus called, walking up to the counter while Janus and Virgil placed their bags at a table. 

“Should we leave?”, Virgil asked after a moment. 

“I don’t--”

“Nah. The place was open, so I’m sure someone’s here somewhere. I mean, how stupid do you have to be to leave your store open unsupervised,” Remus said. 

“Wow, big word,” Virgil teased. 

“Hey! You’re always so rude, bro. Little brothers should be respectful and nice to their older bros.”

“You and I both know I could never. Besides, you tease Janus too,” Virgil retorted with a smirk. 

“Yeah, I guess you right,” Remus conceded with a grin. Janus just rolled his eyes and sighed again. “Anyways, Imma look back there,” Remus said, pointing at the double doors that led to a pantry perhaps. “Maybe someone’s back there. If not, I’ll just grab something and we can leave money or something and just ditch.”

“Both of you never think when you do things,” Janus sighed as Remus disappeared through the doors. Virgil sat across from him with a grin. 

“We learned from the best. Although I do think, and too much most of the time. That’s why sometimes I just do things. So I don’t think too much about it.”

“I don’t know if that’s the dumbest logic or cleverest,” Janus said, letting his head drop. Suddenly, a crash, two screams and loud shouting interrupts the quiet. 

“—ome back here, you brat! I’m not done yet! When I am you’ll be as broken as my children you just killed!” Another crash follows the shouting. The two brothers at the table jump to their feet. 

“Woah, lady, you’re crazy! I did _not_ kill any children! Stop throwing spoons at me!! Ack! Why a rolling pin?! How come you get to throw your cooking things around but I can’t?!”

“Are you stupid, kid?! I can do this—,” “ _OW!_ ” “—because it _is_ mine! This whole place is mine! So get your little crooked hands out of my kitchen and my shop before I drag you to the jail by the mixing spoon I will plunge down your ear!”

Janus and Virgil looked on uncertainly as Remus was pushed out through the double doors, still yelling at the stout gray-haired woman in an apron that followed him with the aforementioned mixing spoon and rolling pin. 

“Oh, customers! I do hope you’re not related to this pastry-murderer and bowl disfigurer. You both seem like calm young boys, unlike this one here,” the lady said suddenly when she noticed Janus and Virgil’s presence, still holding Remus hostage with the rolling pin. 

“Well, we’re not technically related….”

“Pastry murderer? So he didn’t really kill anything living?”, Janus asked, ignoring Remus and Virgil who were now bickering over Virgil’s comment. 

“No, but that doesn’t make what he did to those poor fruit tarts any less ghastly,” the woman said. 

“I’m so sorry for whatever Remus destroyed,” Janus apologized to the old woman. “I can pay for your troubles, if that is necessary.”

The woman huffed. “Don’t bother. You shouldn’t have to pay for your clearly misguided brother, or whatever he is to you. You don’t look too alike. You don’t look familiar at all.” The woman looked them over again. “Oh, aren’t you three the new one’s that Nati brought today?”

They nodded. 

“Yeah, that makes sense now. Everybody in this town knows not to invade my precious kitchen, much less eat from in there. Whatever you want, I’ll bring it to you as long as you pay, so don’t go in there if you value your pretty little fingers, I always tell them,” the woman continued. 

“Can we still eat here, though, ma’am?” Virgil asked, finally done bickering with Remus. 

“My name’s Rosemelinda, but you can just call me Rose, honey. That “ma’am” and “missus” stuff makes me feel all formal. And of course you can still eat here. I live by the money of my customers, which is limited because of that damn no good. That should’ve been his name instead of “not bad”. Hmph! If that were true we wouldn’t all still be stuck here.”

The three brothers looked at each other when the lady lost herself to her muttering. 

“Um, who are you talking about, m- Rose? And what do you mean stuck here?”, Janus asked. 

“Oh, that’s a very long story, dear. And it might reveal some things about that D-, er, Nati,” the woman said. 

“It’s okay. We were looking to rest a little as we ate here anyways, so we don’t mind,” Janus assured. 

“Alright then. But, first, order what you want. I won’t have any stomach rumbling interrupting me,” the lady conceded. 

“Yess! Thanks, crazy lady!” Remus exclaimed, readying himself to jump over the counter to join his brothers. However, he instead let out a surprised yelp of pain as the lady grabbed his ear and pulled him back. 

“Nope. You are going to earn your food by helping me cook whatever your brothers want. I’m still not forgiving you for trashing up my kitchen,” she said. 

“That was mostly your fault! You were throwing things around like a madwoman,” Remus exclaimed, his voice high-pitched with pain. 

“If you keep insulting me I’ll make you prepare their food from scratch!”

Janus smiled at the exchange, knowing the woman meant no real harm. Virgil laughed quietly next to him. They quickly ordered whatever caught their eye and sat back down at their table as the other two disappeared behind the double doors again. 

They passed the time with some idle talk, mostly from Virgil who loved to just talk to Janus about anything, but rarely had time or energy to do. Janus listened attentively, being mindful of showing his interest and reactions to whatever the younger boy was telling him in order to relieve the anxiety he knew tended to bother him when talking to others. It was more of a habit for him, though, since Virgil had long since grown comfortable with them.

Fifteen minutes later, light bickering interrupted their talk and announced the arrival of Remus and the old woman with their food. 

“I still think my way of toasting bread would have totally worked.”

“Boy, if you’d been allowed to do what you were trying to do this whole place would be nothing but ashes mixed with pieces of metal and scattered flesh!”

“Do I want to know?” Janus deadpanned as he received his food from the woman. 

“I’m sure you already know, seeing you’ve been around this madman since he was a little kid,” the woman retorted. “Yeah, I know you three have been together since you’ve been children. This one loves to talk about his precious brothers as much as he does about his crazy ideas. You’ve all met some shitty adults. I guess being one-third their size and stone broke doesn't dissuade certain people from harassing toddlers. Hopefully here you’ll be able to experience some decent human kindness. Everyone here should know what it’s like being helpless and down in the dumps, literally. We’ve all lost our homes and been left with nowhere to go, after all. The only survivors of our hometowns.”

“What happened?” Virgil asked around a mouthful of his sandwich. 

“Our villages were destroyed. Most by some natural disaster. A tornado ran through some, hurricanes washed away the sea towns, stuff like that. There are even some people here from the colder lands, where their town was buried by an avalanche and then overrun by beasts, or something like that,” Rosemelinda told them. “There are two towns that were destroyed by something different. There were no survivors from one of the towns. From the second, there was only one who survived: Romal, the man that made a scene earlier,” she said. “He hasn’t been very keen on Nati and whoever that madman brings.”

“When was Romal’s town destroyed?”, Janus asked, doing his best to ignore the heavy, sinking feeling in his gut at what the new information implied. 

“About six years ago, I think.”

He was right then. Janus had been thinking about the whole spectacle at the square and had pieced a few things together, but this filled in the missing pieces. 

“He was brought here after his town was destroyed, just like the rest of us. Nati called it his ‘haven’ and oh so graciously allowed us to live here,” the woman continued to speak.

“Do you know where Romal is now? I would like to speak to him,” Janus asked. 

“To that madman?”, Remus asked incredulously. Janus nodded. 

“Well, he’s normally outside the town's pub either with a buddy or by himself, but seeing you're asking me about him now, it means you didn’t see him there on your way here,” Rose answered. “Perhaps he’s gone by now anyway.”

“Why do you call Sarun a madman?” Virgil asked before Janus could continue asking about Romal. “You don’t seem to like him too much. I mean, I don’t really like him too much either, but I don’t like a lot of people. But he seems to have done a lot for you all, so I guess he can’t be all that bad?”

Janus paused in his thoughts to consider the question, but Rosemelinda’s sudden laughter startled them all. 

“Sorry, kids, sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you,” Rose apologized when she had quieted down. “And I apologize if I seemed rude as well. Your question just took me by surprise,” she said. 

“Why’s that?”, Remus asked, pausing his pie devouring. 

“Well, as I said, my story is long and reveals some things about… Nati,” the woman hesitated. “You see, that bastard was the one who caused the destruction of our homes in the first place. All the natural phenomena were brought down upon our towns and villages by him.”

“Why would he do that?”, Janus asked in surprise. 

“As if he would tell us,” Rose scoffed bitterly. “All he said was something about creating more ‘darkness’ in the world to feed from.”

“So why did he save you?” Virgil asked. 

“That’s a good question, kid. At first, when we learned of the cause behind the destruction of our homes, we believed he was trying to collect our Dark feelings. However, after we learned some new things about Dark, we think it might have also been because they were trying to relieve their soul or keep some good in them alive.”

“Wait, you know about Dark?” Janus asked. 

“Of course! You don’t think we would just sit around here like mindless sheep, did you? We wanted answers! Our homes were gone! So we discovered the story: about Dark and Light and young Thomas.”

“Thomas?”

“Ah, yes. That’s the personal name of the Saindars Spirit, apparently. I don’t remember who found out, but they did, so we use it except when Dar- er, Nati is around. Actually, that's another reason why we’re probably still around,” Rose mused. “We know too much and Nati doesn’t want us spreading word of hi- sorry, Dark’s Nakari and this base around.”

“Nakari?”

“It’s his name for his Chosen.”

“So, how does Dark, or Nati, keep you here?”

“Well, there’s this invisible barrier surrounding the area. It’s what keeps us hidden from the world as well as us inside here. We’ve tried to find a way out several times, but it’s impossible. We also believe the barrier is what absorbs the Darkness I mentioned in our first theory, so we try not to create a negative environment amongst ourselves. That’s why we don’t think the barrier is powered by our Darkness, unless it absorbs the Darkness outside too and is being powered by that. But, there’s nothing we can do about that, so that’s that I guess.”

Janus, Remus, and Virgil all had varying degrees of confusion written on their faces. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Rose nodded. “All this talk of Darkness and feelings and magic is confusing. I mostly just retell what I hear, although sometimes I make breakthroughs of my own! But don’t worry, you’re all younglings. I’m sure once you stick around some more, you’ll begin to pick up everything in no time. Besides, you have that Nati to ask questions to, although I wouldn’t trust him much,” she continued. “I can’t tell you outright, but I think I made enough mistakes during my old lady tales for you to catch up on.” She winked. “Anyways, I’m sure you kids already know better than to trust too quickly, but I do have to say, take advantage of what you can! While I don’t like Nati, this life sure ain’t half bad!” 

She laughed again then began to pick up the plates the three boys had emptied. “I’ll give you a moment to take it all in. But I’m not allowing anymore questions on this topic, so if you’re done you can leave the money on the table and go on about your day.”

Once she was gone, Remus and Virgil immediately turned to Janus. Fortunately, he managed to raise a hand and stop the coming barrage of questions. 

“Before you ask I want to make it known that I am probably just as lost as you are,” he told them. 

“But you always understand a little better!”, Remus exclaimed. 

“Well, I didn’t this time!” Janus snapped. At their crestfallen expression he continued with a sigh. “Look, all this Dark Light magic nonsense is just as new to me as it is to you. All I understood from that whole thing was these people are survivors who got saved and brought here by the one who destroyed their homes to be possibly harvested of their negative feelings to maybe power a doubtfully bad force that has also chosen us to wield some type of power against Light, which is also maybe bad maybe good, and they can’t leave because they know too much and because of an invisible barrier, apparently!, that nobody knows what if functions on. Oh! And of course their Thomas, the spirit for which all this is happening.”

The wind whistled loudly in the ensuing silence. 

“Yeah, that pretty much is everything,” Remus says slowly. 

Virgil let his head drop on the table. “I need another nap.”

“So, are your little heads still rolling?”

The three looked over to see Rose coming back into the table area. 

“Oh, I see the little one has dropped. You were the one with the most questions.”

“Yeah. I regret them now. I don't know what to make of all this information,” Virgil lamented. “Some things just don’t fit  
somehow... Ugh, I need to rethink my life right now.”

“Always such a drama queen,” Remus teased. 

“If I could ask something else?,” Janus asked Rose.

“As long as it is away from this topic.”

“Well, it kind of is? Um, do you know more of how Romal’s village was destroyed? Or has he said anything about his village?”

“Hmm, I don’t think I’ve heard much, no,” Rose mused. “He was a very bitter man, I didn’t like talking to him much. He did always have this thing against mystical stuff and snakes. Hated it all. Maybe that’s why he was so bitter. I mean, this place is very mystical. That also explains why he screamed at you today. You’re practically everything he hates, what with Naga’s being both snakes and mystical. But don’t worry, kid, the rest of us are a little more open minded.”

“Um, why do you talk about him in the past-tense?”, Virgil asked. 

“Huh? Oh, um, it's probably just me and my aging head going bonkers again. I think what isn’t, you know?”

“Yeah, I can understand the bonkers part,” Remus said, nodding seriously. A spoon to the head and the following good-natured fight successfully distracted them from what had just been implied. It also ended their meeting in a light-spirited way. 

As agreed on, Janus, Remus, and Virgil met their coachman at the Remelio restaurant and soon they were on their way back to their new home. 

The quiet bird calls, swishing wind, and crunching dirt chased them all the way back, but that was alright. It filled the silence of the chariot and let them think and plan in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes this chapter! I hope you liked it!
> 
> And just in case it wasn’t too obvious, Romal is from Janus’ hometown. It got destroyed soon after Janus was kicked out. 
> 
> Anyway, for those exciting news I mentioned at the beginning: I am posting more Sander Sides stories! ^-^
> 
> They’re all AU. There’s an Among Us AU, Princess and the Frog, and a Voltron Au with some Steven Universe elements in it. I’m also working on a BNHA/Sander Sides crossover and maybe an Onward AU and ATLA AU. 
> 
> SO, if you wouldn’t mind checking those out, that would be amazing! \^-^/
> 
> However, with more stories to work on, it might take longer to update We Have it All (not that it hasn’t already), but it should also give me enough things with which to procrastinated, so I’m sure there will always be updates somewhere. 
> 
> So, yeah, those were my news.   
> I hope everyone is taking care and staying safe.  
> Protect and support each other!  
> Till next time~!


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